School athletes take top comp wins

RISING Ballarat athletes took to the track at Perth’s WA Athletics Stadium over the weekend to bring home more than half a dozen medal in the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.

Nine local athletes claimed seven top-place medals in running, long jump, and vaulting competitions, with events running from Friday to Sunday.

Wendouree resident and Ballarat Grammar student Mackayla Culvenor competed out of her triple jump comfort zone to take the silver in the Women’s Under 16 Long Jump.

The event was her second time participating in the All Schools nationals and she said it’s a great platform for serious competition.

“The experience is a lot different to the AVSL [Athletics Victoria Shield League] we do in Ballarat,” she said.

“It’s a really good opportunity for us to experience bigger competitions where everything’s taken a lot more seriously and you get used to the practices they’d use in international competitions.

“Last All Schools nationals I’d peaked and everything clicked with all my training. This time I’d just got off quite a few injuries and long jump isn’t normally what I do.

“I thought I’d go in for a PB and see how well I went so to come second I was really quite proud. It’s given me a confidence boost in knowing I can go into the next nationals and do it.”

Molly Fraser won gold in the Women’s Under 18 Long Jump with a 5.65-metre effort while Armani Anderson took the top spot in the Women’s Under 17 100-metre event with a time of 11.84 seconds.

Scott Peart claimed bronze in the 5000-metre racewalk with Fraser also nabbing silver in the Women’s Under 18 triple jump, and Grace Crowe and Mackenzie Estlick sprinting to third place as part of the Victorian 4 x 100-metre relay team.

Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre manager Ashley Anderson said the competition is a step up for local athletes to represent not just the region but the state of Victoria.

“To get any medal coming from a regional town in a national event is a huge achievement,” he said.

“You’ve not only got to represent Ballarat but you’ve got to represent the state against kids from across the country.

“Our Ballarat athletes certainly exceeded expectations when it comes to competing at the top level. In regards to last year, it was fairly similar with two golds but of course from different athletes.”