Double victory for versatile McGroder | Australian Athletics Championships Day Eight

From the golden double of Mason McGroder to the stylish victory of Shari Hurdman, Day Eight of the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships saw the next generation of athletic talent rise above a wet afternoon in Adelaide.

15-year-old McGroder (NSW) made it two gold medals in the space of an hour today, claiming the Under 17 crowns in the Long Jump and 400m, just days after leaping to 7.73m in the Under 20 final to secure his spot for the World Athletics Under 20 Championships in Peru.

Proving his leap earlier in the week was no fluke, the New South Welshman leapt to 7.32m today on his first attempt solidifying his status as a long jumper to watch and beating decathlon champion Blake Deery (ACT) by 53cm.

The versatile talent then charged to victory in the U17 400m, hitting the gas at the halfway mark to beat his teammate Olly McDonald to the finish line in 49.37.

“I could feel Olly on my outside and then I heard the crowd going, but I knew I had to hold my form and hold on basically,” McGroder said.

“It’s pretty cool to get to the Under 20s qualifier, I had a good comp out there. All the boys were getting PB’s but I had to come out with something special.”

Continuing the one-lap action, Shari Hurdman (NSW) proved to be a force with a strong finish in the Under 18 400m, cruising to the finish line in 54.56. More than a second ahead of Queensland’s Rose Acklin (55.60), Hurdman’s result highlights the rise of the country’s 400m stocks, alongside Caleb Kilpatrick (VIC) 47.50 win in the Boys event.

The future of Australian high jump remains strong with athletes following the footsteps of the country’s world champions Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson over a number of age groups.

In the Under 17 Girls event, Maddyn Allison (QLD) and Rebecca Howarth (ACT) impressed clearing heights of 1.72m, with Allison nabbing the win on countback. In the Under 14 Girls event, three athletes cleared 1.60m or above, with Queenslanders Mila Mabb and Diva Ejembi soaring over heights of 1.65m. Mabb edged out her teammate on countback, with New South Wales’ Hannah Lambert landing a third-attempt clearance of 1.62m.

Australia’s junior field stars continued to shine as Under 18 long jump star Geena Davy (VIC) leapt to victory with a 6.11m (+0.8) landing on her first attempt. Only her third time leaping over six-metres, Davy piled on eight centimetres to her personal best to defeat the field by 21cm.

Matthew McLachlan (NSW) stormed to a championships record in the Under 17 Boys 3000m, crossing the line in 8:26.68 to round out his season on a high, moments before Charles Barrett (VIC) toppled the field in the Under 18 event in 8:27.43.

Sophie Williams (WA) and Amalia Bond (NSW) add to the wave of rising triple jumpers across the country, with the West Australian leaping to a clutch 11.84 (-0.4) in cold and rainy conditions on her final jump, to clinch the U16 Girls Triple Jump crowd, while 13-year-old Bond landed season’s best of 12.02m (-0.1) in the Under 15 event, reaching the 12-metre mark for the first time.

The Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships continues tomorrow and will be broadcast live and free on 7plus from 9:15am ACST.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 18/4/2024