Preview: 2018 Australian Junior Athletics Championships

Over 2,000 of our young emerging athletes from all around the country are converging on Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Center (SOPAC) for the 2018 Australian Junior Athletics Championships starting Wednesday, March 14 through Sunday, March 18.

We’ll see some of our future greats emerge with raw talent on the track and field. In recent years, we’ve seen quite a few members of our 2018 Commonwealth Games team – including Riley Day, Cedric Dubler, Kurtis Marschall and Anneliese Rubie - emerge from this exciting competition.

In fact, you can even see some of our current Commonwealth Games team members in action at the 2018 Australian Junior Athletics Championships including Victoria’s Celeste Mucci (U20 100m hurdles; long jump), NSW’s Erin Cleaver (U20 T38 long jump; 100m), WA’s Rhiannon Clarke (U20 T38 100m), NSW’s Kailyn Joseph (U20 T37 long jump) and Victoria’s Isis Holt (U20 T35 100m).

It’s been a big summer so far for Holt, breaking her own T35 100m world record at last month’s Australian Athletics Championships & Nomination Trial on the Gold Coast, leaving the 16-year-old feeling confident ahead of this week’s competition.

“Training is going well, and it will be good to hopefully see some of that hard work come together over the weekend,” Holt said. 

“My teachers and friends at school are all really supportive and the environment I’m in is very easy to work with both as a student and athlete,” she continued. “I have excellent support around me while I’m also given the opportunity to just be like any other kid my age which is really important to me.” 

Holt’s first major competition was the 2014 Australian Junior Athletics Championships. In the time since she’s gone on to compete at the Rio Paralympic Games and last year’s World Para Athletics Championships in London.

“The 2014 junior nationals will always stick in my mind as a pretty big milestone for me,” Holt said. 

“Coming back to compete each year, it’s nice to see how far I’ve come while also being given the opportunity to remember what it was like the first time I went out to compete at a big event.”

Qualification for the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships and Youth Olympic Games will also be on the line for many of our athletes competing over the next five days. Fifty-five athletes have ready posted qualifiers for the World U20 Championships including Zane Branco (Qld – 100m, 200m, long jump),  Kristie Edwards (NSW – 100m, 200m), Katie Hayward (Qld – 10,000m walk), Lauren Hyde-Cooling (WA – pole vault), Alexander Kolesnikoff (NSW – shot put) and Declan Tingay (WA – 10,000m walk).

For those eyeing a start at the Youth Olympic Games, performances in Sydney will be key to earn a ticket to Buenos Aires.

You can catch the action from SOPAC via our 2018 Australian Junior Athletics Championships live stream on the Athletics Australia website and our Facebook page at the following times:

Thursday 1300-1800  

Friday 1230-1730

Saturday 1115-1615

Sunday 1315-1615

Regular updates will also be provided on the Athletics Australia Twitter and Instagram feed using the #AusJnrAthletics 

Those travelling to the 2018 Australian Junior Athletics Championships, especially over the weekend, are advised to use public transport due to a high volume of patrons visiting Sydney Olympic Park.