Gout and Friends to Ignite Day One | Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships

From sprint sensation Gout Gout and his World Under 20 teammates Izobelle Louison-Roe, Thewbelle Philp, Chelsy Wayne and Jonathan Kasiano to Paralympic revelation Telaya Blacksmith, the record books will be on high alert for Day One of the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships in Brisbane.

Gout’s (QLD) well-documented rise to stardom has generated much anticipation ahead of the opening day of action at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, with athletics fans set to catch a glimpse of the 16-year-old sprint sensation in the 100m.

Competing in the Under 18 ranks, the Ipswich product will take one final swipe at the Australian Under 18 record of 10.27-seconds set by Sebastian Sultana in 2022, with Gout’s personal best captured in a viral video last March as he bolted to 10.29-seconds on this very track.

A silver medallist at the 2024 World Under 20 Championships in his pet event of the 200m which will take place on Day Two of competition, Gout will be joined on Day One by fellow World Under 20 silver medallist Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW) who commences her program with the Under 18 Triple Jump – her first of four events.

Having already produced the event’s longest distance by a female in Australian All Schools Athletics Championships history with the 13.39m (+3.2) she leapt to at Perth’s 2023 instalment, the versatile talent returns to action in Brisbane with her new global credentials.

The depth of Australia’s junior talent will be on full display as Thewbelle Philp (QLD) prepares to launch in the Under 17 Girls’ 100m against hometown rival Amaya Mearns (QLD).

Fresh off her international debut at Lima’s World Under 20 Championships in the 4x100m Relay, Philp holds the ascendency in both experience and time with a personal best of 11.51-seconds – putting the meet record of 11.53-seconds on watch.

A teammate of Gout and fellow Ipswich product Jonathan Kasiano (QLD) will also light up the home straight in the Under 17 Boys' 100m, as he continues his comeback from an injury sustained in training for the World Under 20 Championships in Lima, Peru.

Also returning from Lima is discus thrower Chelsy Wayne (NSW) who will look to flex her form to take out the Under 18 title with a 52.16m career-best at 16-years-old, while Riley-Jay Henry-Purcell (QLD) will go head-to-head with Lauren Kelly (WA) in the Under 17 event.

Paralympic sprinter Telaya Blacksmith (NSW) is ready to fly in the Under 20 Para Girls' 100m off the back of her Paris 2024 success, with the 16-year-old raised in Lajamanu – 900km south of Darwin. Competing in the T20 classification for athletes with an intellectual impairment, Blacksmith will see how she stacks up against her Australian rivals on the BASELINE system.

Triple jumper Lian Anagnostopoulos (NSW) recently piled the centimetres onto his personal best which now stands at 15.39m, while his statesman Luke Vrataric (NSW) has to leapt to 15.25m to set up an enticing battle.

In the race walking ranks, Riley Coughlan (VIC) will take on the likes of Bailey Housden (QLD) and John Ronan (WA) over 5000m, while the Girls’ event is headlined by Sienna Pitcher (NSW), Angelina Legrand (SA) and Milly Sharpe (NQ).

Following in the footsteps of Olympic champion Nina Kennedy, Jamison Harding (VIC) is set to soar in the Under 16 Girls’ Pole Vault having cleared the 4.00m barrier as a 14-year-old, while Lucas Chis (VIC) is a name to watch in one of the first events on the program – the Under 17 Boys’ 1500m.

The 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships will take place in Brisbane from December 6-9, with tickets available for purchase HERE. The event will also be livestreamed via Athletics Australia’s YouTube channel, with Day One’s coverage beginning at 10:00am local time (AEST).

Timetables, entry lists and more information can be found HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted 5/12/2024