Takau Takes Top Honours on Dav Seven | Australian Athletics Championships

Rising thrower Allira Takau continued the theme of national junior records on Day Seven of the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships, launching herself into the history books as Australia’s emerging stars made their mark in Adelaide.

Saving her best for the national stage at SA Athletics Stadium, Takau (NSW) stunned her rivals and the crowd in the Under 18 Girls Shot Put with her third-round attempt of 17.27m, adding nine centimetres to the Under 18 Australian record and taking gold by over two metres for her fifth consecutive Australian title.

“It was good! It was a good competition, I just got onto the shot and hit it. I think it does get more special every year with more experience and everything,” Takau said.

Adding to the throws success, Riley-Jay Henry-Purcell (QLD) picked up her second gold medal of the championships when piling on 70cm to the championship record in the Under 17 Girls Shot Put with a 15.93m effort, as silver medallist Lauren Kelly (WA) also surpassed the former mark with a 15.79m performance.

Versatile talent Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW) continued her impressive Australian Championships campaign in the Under 18 Girls High Jump with a 1.80m clearance, backing up her victory in the Under 20 ranks to land her ticket to the 2024 World Under 20 Championships to be held in Lima, Peru this August and clinching her fourth individual medal of the week. She also backed up the result with bronze in the Under 18 100m Hurdles.

Punching in a championship record of his own, William Pereira (TAS) raced to a time of 5:55.98 in the Under 17 Boys 3000m Steeplechase to fend off the field, holding strong over the final barrier to secure the national title.

Also impressing in the field, 13-year-old Rebecca Howarth (ACT) soared over 1.70m in the Under 15 Girls High Jump, securing a 10cm victory ahead of her nearest rival before raising the bar to 1.76m in an attempt to rewrite her career-best. Meanwhile, Ratuviliame Lewanavanua (NSW) lit up the Under 16 Boys High Jump with a 1.91m clearance.

16-year-old Daniel Okerenyang (NSW) cruised to his third consecutive Australian title when leaping to 15.07m (+0.3) in the Under 18 Boys Triple Jump, before sustaining an injury in the third round which saw him unable to complete the competition.

Up against a steely headwind of -1.2m/s, Billy Blair (NSW) and Harrison Purcell (QLD) were neck-and-neck in their battle to the finish line in the U18 Boys 110m Hurdles, with Blair stealing the win in 13.88, while Isabelle Palmer (QLD) took out the Under 18 Girls event in 13.69 (+0.7).

Tammin Lampret (NSW) won the U17 Girls event convincingly in 13.73 (-1.4), with Oliver Facer (NSW) setting a new lifetime best for gold in 13.95 (-1.3) for the boys.

Full results from Day Seven can be found HERE.

The Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships continues tomorrow and will be broadcast live and free on 7plus from 10:00am ACST.

By Lachlan Moorhouse Athletics Australia
Posted: 17/4/2024