Australian Track & Field Championships - Day 4 Update

Day 4 of the Australian Track & Field Championships saw a number of medals, records and PB performances from Team SA athletes in what was a great day of competition.

The Dominators

South Australia has raised the bar in the national relay world with a potential dynasty in the making.

After victory in the Men's Under 16 14x100m relay, the 4x200m team yesterday  backed up the effort in a heart-stopping display which had spectators on their feet and won praise and admiration from the athletics community.

The team of Jean Marie, Gman Paye, James Withnall and Thomas Griffith edged out Queensland in the time of 1:30.68.

And you could not wipe the smile off their faces.

"Definitely, we wanted to get gold," said Gman Paye who set the tone with a strong second leg adding that he thought Victoria may have been the team to beat.

But it was the strength and determination of Thomas Griffiths who overtook Queensland in a blistering last leg and refused to surrender once he had that sniff of victory.

Double Gold

It was double gold for Noah Schoepf who became SA's first gold medal winner on Day 4, winning the Men's Under 15 discus throw. It follows his Under 15 Men's hammer gold on Monday.

"You feel it when you throw," the Northern Districts athlete said of his gold medal performance. "You sort of feel it within you, the technique, the separation ... you feel it when you've done it right".

And he did it right ... 40m ... 50m ... 55m ... 58.22m.

But for the modest and affable Noah, it was not about gold.  

"At the end of the day it's about getting PBs and seeing how far you can go".

And he PBd in all three of his events at the championships - discus, hammer and shotput and paid tribute to his coaches Di Ferguson and gold medallist from Day 1, Jett Carlin.

"I just love it. It's great being with other athletes. It's a great community to be involved in'', he said.

World Qualifier

Olivia Sandery has qualified for the World Under 20 Championships with a stunning performance in the Under 20 Women's 10,000m walk.

Olivia's time of 47:03.55 broke the State record and cut a minute off her PB.

Part of Athletics SA emerging talent program, she said she knew it would be a difficult race, adding it's harder on the track rather than on a road, the 25 laps of track being a major mental challenge.

Silver lining

It was like a classic David v Goliath battle and if no-one had heard the name Jack Williams before yesterday, they will now.

The pocket rocket showed he was well up the challenge claiming silver in the Men's Under 14 800m final with a time of 2:04.40.

Taking on the national 400m champion Oscar Irankeje of Queensland 1500m champion and record holder Bart Leeton of Victoria, the trio went through the first half in a minute.

As the front runners split, Jack took the lead in the back straight, before Irankeje edged him out in the final stages.

For Jack, who runs for Saints, it was two seconds off his PB in an effort summed up by his coach Simon Moran as "gutsy".

Bold and Bronzed

Northern Districts athlete Ayden Colbourne has claimed bronze in the Under 15 Men's 200m hurdles.

Ayden put up a brave and determined fight and was narrowly edged out of silver by just 0.24 sec.

Colbourne began well but no-one could have overpowered NSW's Billy Blair who continued to stretch his lead during the race, winning in 26.47.

Ayden finished in 28.76.

Down to the wire

It was an event that went down to the final jump. And it was a nervous wait for the winner.

NSW's Charlotte McGill opened the first of her six attempts in the Women's Under 20 triple jump with a distance of 12.71m.

But it was not until the final jump of Team SA's Emilaya Ellis that the result was settled. 

The former Golden Grove High School student kept her best for last, jumping 12.54m gaining a silver medal.

First-up Record

When it comes to smashing records, Jack Netting had it in the bag.

Jack, coached by Lynn Larson,  and a member of the Emerging Athlete Program squad, broke the National T35 record with his first jump of 4.66m in the Men's Ambulant Long Jump Final.

He also took out bronze.

Coach Lynn praised Jack's dedication and commitment, adding that he was a great athlete to work with,  respectful in a team environment.

Hugo does it again

Hugo Taheny has once again broken the National and Oceania Veritas F21 Discus Record with his performance in the Men's Ambulant Discus event, throwing 30.29m which gave him a score percentage of 97.55%.

Bettering his previous record, Hugo was excited to be able to perform on the National stage with other competitors and shared some heart-warming moments on the podium after the medal presentations.

Hugo returns to the field on Saturday to compete in the Ambulant Javelin and Shot Put events.

Written by Andrew Holman