Championships Heating Up in Perth |All Schools Day Two Preview

The track is hot and the competition is fierce at the 2023 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Championships, with Day Two poised to continue the trend of record-breaking performances as the nation’s rising stars battle for both individual and team success.

It was a tale of mixed fortunes for Jack Love (QLD) at this year’s Commonwealth Youth Games, crashing out in the heats of the 400m Hurdles before returning to play a crucial role in the Mixed 4x400m team’s bronze medal.

Already the Australian U18 record holder in the event at 51.62-seconds, Love will be chasing a confidence-boosting performance in Perth to open his 2024 campaign when taking on Commonwealth Youth Games teammate Matthew Hunt (NSW). Meanwhile, the versatile Siena Farrell (VIC) will be the firm favourite to take out the Under 18 Girls 400m Hurdles after nailing a World U20 Championships qualifier of 1:00.55 in recent weeks.

Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW) returns to the fray after bounding to a stunning 13.39m (+2.3) performance to win the Under 17 Girls Triple Jump on Day One of competition, this time contesting the Under 17 Long Jump as her quest for four gold medals rolls on. Owning a 6.13m best, the 16-year-old will need to find seven centimetres if she is to add a first world junior standard to her resume.

Adding to the action in the field will be the premier pole vaulters of the carnival in the form of Queensland duo Alex Arbuthnot and Haneefa Rane. Taking to the Under 18 ranks, Arbuthnot will look to improve on his 4.61m personal best set in 2022’s edition of the Australian All Schools Championships, while Rane has wasted no time this season when improving her career best to 3.80m.

Both winners on Day One of competition, hometown heroes Olivia Dodds (WA) and Josiah John (WA) will race to complete the sprint double in the Under 18 and Under 17 ranks respectively, with Dodds recently racing to a new Western Australian U18 and U20 record of 23.84 (+1.4).

John (21.35) will have his work cut out for him when taking on the New South Wales duo of Taurus Traino (21.60) and John McDonald (21.68), while a similarly even contest stands in the way of Cody Hasler (NSW) and his sprint double in the Under 18 competition.

The dominant Daniel Williams (NSW) showed just what he is capable of when tearing to the Under 17 1500m gold on Day One, now dropping down to his pet event of the 800m where he has already posted a World Under 20 qualifier of 1:50.28 this season.

The spotlight might just belong to Ivy Boothroyd (NSW) who is building an impressive resume at the age of 16, with her best time of 2:04.90 over 800m the fastest of any girl at the meet by over two seconds. Racing in the Under 17 age group, Boothroyd and Williams could erase over 80 years of history from the books – with the respective Under 17 meet records standing at 2:07.97 (Jodie Nykvist, 1981) and 1:49.80 (Brett Crew, 1978).

Arielle Cannell (TAS) doubles back to chase her second gold and another chance in the Under 18 Girls Hammer Throw after clinching the Under 16 title on Day One, while Aden McDonald (WA) is a name on the rise and bound for the Under 18 Boys Long Jump – the 17-year-old improving his personal best to 7.26m in 2023.

Local talent Declan Somers (WA) will look to light up the Under 18 Boys 2000m Steeplechase, while a showdown looms between Hannah Tourneur (SA) and Sienna Bush (QLD) in the Under 16 Girls 3000m.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 9/12/2023