Day 2 Preview | Australian All Schools Championships

Day One of the 2022 Chemist Warehouse Australian Track and Field Championships saw the vibrance of junior athletics shine in Adelaide headlined by Gout Gout’s two national records, with a host of emerging stars returning on Day Two as the heat turns up.  

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11:30am Under 18 Women’s 400m Hurdles:

The Australian Capital Territory’s Alesha Bennets has already set personal bests of 54.75 and 59.53 over 400m and the 400m hurdles respectively this season, and she has no plans on slowing down at the Australian All Schools Championships.

The 17-year-old boasts a seed time over five seconds better than that of her nearest rival having lowered her personal best from 64.58 seconds this season, with Bennets improving rapidly under the watchful eye of Matt Beckenham and training partner Lauren Boden.

The Canberra local will be out to get her campaign off to a winning start in today’s timed finals of the 400m hurdles before returning for tomorrow’s 400m final.

11:30am Under 17 Women’s Hammer Throw:

Queensland’s Natasha Lynch is no stranger to setting meet records after a triumphant 2021 saw her rewrite the record books at the Australian Track and Field Championships, returning today in the school-aged ranks placed in a league of her own on seedings.

The 16-year-old’s recent form of a 57.16m effort to book her ticket to Adelaide leaves little hope for the meet record of 50.92m, with Lynch ready to launch and close in on her 57.38m personal best. Despite having competed just once this season, Lynch holds the class edge in the field and will be out to launch the hammer deep into the sector.

12:16pm Under 18 Men’s 800m:

The Under 18 Men’s 800m looms as one of the races of the championships.

The Australian Capital Territory’s Hayden Todd possesses a personal best of 1:50.14 and has a 1:52.63 performance to his name this season, but Under 18 1500m champion Remy Williams of Victoria will be in hot pursuit with teammate Wolfgang Cotra-Nemesi.

Todd was the fifth fastest qualifier for the Under 18 400m final with his performance of 49.65 on the opening day, but more known for his 800m credentials will be more suited in this encounter.  Williams has proved one of the early-season surprises with sublime tactics and the class to match in his championship appearances to date this year, going undefeated in Victoria and striking gold early in Adelaide.

1:15pm Under 20 Para 200m:

Featuring a Commonwealth Games representative taking on an up-and-coming Paralympic hopeful, the Under 20 Para 200m promises to be a showdown between New South Wales duo Indiana Cooper and Mali Lovell, but they will both have to overcome 100m champion Akeesha Snowden on home soil.

Snowden narrowly edged out Lovell in the 100m final on Day One with scores of 90.65% and 90.29% respectively, while Cooper finished in fourth place with 84.04%. The extra distance will favour Lovell in her pet event, with the rising star continuing to edge closer to the times historically required to race at the World Para Athletics Championships and Paralympic Games.

4:00pm Under 15 Men’s Javelin Throw:

One year ago, Western Australia’s Wyatt Hill missed the national podium. The 14-year-old now has the longest throw in the country for his age group.

Hill’s name is scattered throughout the Western Australian All Schools Championships results with the versatile multi athlete set to compete in the high jump, hurdles, and javelin in Adelaide – all of which are today.

Hill threw 50.95m on his second attempt to clinch the WA schools title by over five metres; an effort he will be out to emulate en route to the national title with the 700g implement in hand.

4:15pm Under 18 Men’s 200m:

Delivering a casual 10.57 (-1.7) to win the Under 18 Men’s 100m on Day One of the championships speaks volumes to the class of Sebastian Sultana.

The 10.27-second rocket is the undisputed fastest Under 18 man in Australian history over 100m, and needs to find just 0.03-seconds of improvement with a legal wind to match that feat over 200m. Sultana’s best of 20.92 falls narrowly outside the Australian Under 18 record of 20.90 shared by Darren Clark, Paul Greene and Zane Branco, with the New South Wales junior steadfast that the milestone is within reach with favourable conditions.

Much like his run to 100m glory on Day One, Sultana will first look to lock away gold before shifting his eyes to the time, with the likes of North Queensland’s Jett Grundy likely to rumble home late. Watch the clock.  

4:22pm Under 18 Women’s 200m:

Olivia Rose Inkster was outpaced by fellow World Under 20 representative Aleksandra Stoilova in the Women’s Under 18 100m final on Friday, but the 17-year-old is eager to make amends in her pet event to even the ledger with her New South Wales teammate.

Inkster can be forgiven for a poor start on Day One of the championships, but credit must be given to Stoilova who charged to a career-best of 11.60, before the two returned to produce a dazzling first two legs of New South Wales’ Under 18 4x100m win.

Inskter holds the ascendancy in the personal best ranks with her mark of 23.82 and World Under 20 semi-final credentials; tipped to demonstrate her strength with a dominant back half of the race en route to clinching her second gold among her busy schedule.  

4:30pm Under 17 Women’s Pole Vault:

Haneefa Rane of Queensland will be out to upgrade her national bronze from the Australian Track and Field Championships in March to gold at the Australian All Schools Championships after showing strong form early in the season.

Rane already has a 3.55m clearance to her name from October, just shy of her 3.60m personal best from 2020, with the 16-year-old the second highest pole vaulter at the championships across all age groups. The talented junior collects medals wherever she goes and on paper, her All Schools debut looks to follow that trend. 

6:20pm Under 16 Men’s 3000m Race Walk:

A head-to-head battle awaits between the Australian Capital Territory’s Owen Toyne and Isaac Beacroft of New South Wales over 7.5 laps in the final event of the day, with both juniors impressing to date this season.

The versatile Beacroft arrives in strong form off the back of swift times over 3000m, with Toyne up to the task having proven himself with Australian and Oceania junior titles in 2022. The meet record of 12:45.00 appears to be on borrowed time with the emerging duo of national record calibre, who will be out to deliver an fitting finale on Day Two.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
10/12/2022