16 NSW athletes selected for World U20 Championships

22 April 2022

16 NSW athletes selected for World U20 Championships

Today 16 NSW athletes have received the honour of being named in the 60-strong Australian team for the 19th World U20 Championships to be held in Cali, Columbia in August 2022.

It will be great relief for the athletes that Australia will send a team to the event after the 2020 Championships were postponed to 2021 and Australian elected not to send a team to Nairobi in 2021 due to COVID and security concerns. The Australian team that was selected for the 2021 World U20 Championships, travelled to the Gold Coast to compete against a New Zealand team. Six NSW members of that team, now have the chance to travel to the 2022 Championships and compete against the World’s best teenagers, representing an expected 150 countries.

Those six athletes are: Jasmin Guthrie, Charlie Jefferson, Nicola Hogg, Erin Shaw and Aleksandra Stoilova.

Joining them are 10 NSW athletes new to the national junior team: Hayley Kitching, Laura Roderick, Delta Amidzovski, Isabella Guthrie, Katie Gunn, Olivia Rose Inkster, Luke Boyes, Patrick Cantlon, Mitchell Lightfoot, Dominic Panozzo and Connor Bond.

Many athletes were automatically selected or by placing second at the trials were in the box seat for selection. However our three relay members, Connor Bond, Olivia Rose Inkster and Aleksandra Stoilova certainly have had a nervous wait over the last two weeks for this announcement.

Three distance runners Hayley Kitching, Luke Boyes and Patrick Cantlon were particularly noteworthy defeating a long lists of qualifiers to secure selection.

Hayley Kitching won the 800m trial and secured automatic selection. There had been five qualifiers in her event, although 2:01 athlete Claudia Hollingsworth received an exemption to compete in the open 800m event. In the men’s 800m there were also five qualifiers. NSW’s Charlie Jeffreson was the warm favourite and he confirmed the status winning the event and securing automatic selection. Luke Boyes placed a close second, sufficient to secure his selection. The men’s 1500m and 3000m events were extraordinary, with Patrick Cantlon’s performances in placing second in both just astonishing achievements over high quality competition.

NSW best prospects include Charlie Jeffreson (800m), Bella Guthrie (400m hurdles), Mitchell Lightfoot (100m hurdles), along with the 4x100m relay teams. The athletes in the distance races could also surprise.

UTS Norths had placed a stunning seven on the Australian team, way more than any club in Australia. The next best is three each from University of WA and University of Queensland. NSW clubs represented: 7 - UTS Norths and one each from: Athletics Wollongong, Campbelltown, Coffs Harbour, Gosford, Maitland, Randwick Botany Harriers, Run Crew, The King's School and Trinity.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Dominic Panozzo in the 400m hurdles (image courtesy of Fred Etter)

NSW members of the Australian Team - World Athletics Under 20 Championships
Cali, Colombia, 1-6 August 2022

GIRLS (10):

Event, athlete, state, (club, coach)

400m: Jasmin Guthrie NSW (Angus McEntyre, UTS Norths Athletic Club)

800m: Hayley Kitching NSW (Tim Kitching, Coffs Harbour Athletics Club)

1500m: Nicola Hogg NSW (Ben Liddy, UTS Norths Athletic Club)

3000m: Nicola Hogg

5000m: Laura Roderick NSW (William and Jordan Williams, Randwick Botany Athletic Club)

100m Hurdles: Delta Amidzovski NSW (Roger Fabri, Athletics Wollongong)

400m Hurdles: Isabella Guthrie NSW (Angus McEntyre, UTS Norths Athletic Club)

High Jump: Erin Shaw NSW (Jack McArdle, UTS Norths Athletic Club)

Long Jump: Katie Gunn NSW (Matthew Horsnell, Gosford Athletic Club)

4 x 100m relay: Olivia Rose Inkster (Melinda Gainsford-Taylor & Katie Edwards, UTS Norths Athletic Club), Aleksandra Stoilova (Hayden Kovacic, Westfelds Athletic Club)

4 x 400m relay: Isabella Guthrie, Jasmin Guthrie

BOYS (6):

800m: Luke Boyes NSW (Ben St Lawrence, Run Crew), Charlie Jeffreson NSW (Penny Gillies, The King’s School Athletic Club)

1500m: Patrick Cantlon NSW (Owen Stewart, Trinity Athletic Club)

3000m: Patrick Cantlon

110m Hurdles: Mitchell Lightfoot NSW (Andy Burton, Maitland Athletic Club)

400m Hurdles: Dominic Panozzo (Deb Walsham, UTS Norths Athletic Club)

4 x 100m Relay: Connor Bond (Mick Zisti, UTS Norths Athletic Club)