Australian XC REVIEW: U20, U18, U17 – Jade Kitching & Laura Roderick Australian champions

29 August 2022

Australian XC REVIEW: U20, U18, U17 – Jade Kitching & Laura Roderick Australian champions

With Australia hosting the World Cross Country Championships next year, an event which includes an under-20 event, the junior events at the National Cross Country had more relevance than ever.

Here is how the under-20, 18 and 17 races unfolded and NSW’s involvement. World XC junior athletes will largely be drawn from these ages. The trials are in January in Canberra.

WOMEN U20 6KM

After 2km a clear lead pack of four had broken away, as the field was strung out early. The pack included two NSW athletes, Laura Roderick our World U20 Championships representative in the 5000m, and Hannah Anderson, along with Victorian pair Amelie Alleva and Poppy Austin. By 4km, Laura had broken away with her closest rival her NSW teammate Hannah Anderson, who had placed second to her at the track Nationals over 5000m. The two Victorians were now back in third and fourth places. Over the last lap, Laura stretched her lead to 20 seconds finishing in 23:07, ahead of Hannah’s 23:27. It was a quality display of distance running by the NSW duo.

NSW’s Bronte Oates and Shayne Hargreaves were fifth and sixth and ensured NSW easily won the team title with 14 points, from Victoria 23 pts and Qld 50 pts.

Of the leading NSW athletes Bronte Oates and Emma Olson-Keating (8th) are age-eligible for the World U20 team next year for the World XC.

MEN U20 8KM

A massive field of 65 athletes finished the men’s U20 8km. NSW’s Hamish Hart was in the lead pack from the very start. After lap two the pace was taking its toll on the field which was now strung out. Hamish Hart would finish sixth in the high quality race, clocking 27:34. Close behind him was the next best NSW athlete, Lachlan Townsend, with a time of 27:45 in eighth.

The good news for Hamish and Lachlan’s prospects for the World U20 XC next year is they were third and fourth amongst age-eligible athletes.

MEN U18 6KM

This race was dominated by a Kiwi-pair who by the 2km mark had a strong lead over the field. Only local South Aussie Jonathan Harris went with them. Ten metres back was the pack with NSW Schools champion Adam Williams sitting nicely in fourth. Just behind them were another group with NSW’s Ethan McKenzie prominent.

Over the final lap Ethan moved up, passing his teammate Adam, but largely they maintained their race positions with Ethan placing 6th in 20:32 and Adam 7th in 20:36. It was a tremendous improvement by Ethan McKenzie who had placed eighth at the State Schools XC, although that place was just 13 seconds behind the winner in a close race.

MEN U17 6KM

Running with the under-18 event it was difficult to determine who was in the under-17 race, but well into the race it became clear NSW athletes were in podium positions. The leading under-17 trio of NSW’s Jade Kitching and QLD-pair Toby Chippendale and Padraig Heffernan were sitting in the second pack of the combined race - around the top-10 at 2km mark in the race.

By 4km Jade Kitching, had dropped the Queensland under-17 athletes and had joined the leading under-18s – a Victorian duo Jayden Padgham and Harrison Boyd.

Jade’s momentum continued on lap three as he ditched an Australian competition going on to become the first Australian to cross the line in the combined under-18/17 race.

Jade Kitching clocked 20:04 finishing six and 10 seconds ahead of the under-18s. He completed dominated his under-17 age finishing 18 seconds ahead of Toby Chippendale and 41 seconds ahead of Padraig Heffernan. The first across the line had been Kiwi Elliot Pugh. Finishing just off the podium in a terrific fourth was Luca Gillard clocking 20:53.

It was an extraordinary performance by Jade Kitching who will need to consider adding 2km to his race distance for the World XC U20 trial in January over 8km.

It was a close combined U18 & U17 team competition with Qld winning on 27 pts, VIC second with 32 pts and NSW third with 34 pts.

WOMEN U18 4KM

This race was dominated by Victorian Amy Bunnage, the National U20 3000m track champion. In Adelaide she won by a minute in 13:55. Fourth placegetter in the NSW Schools XC, Lily Winward, was the best NSW athlete early in the race. At 2km she was in the first pack, a group of about seven athletes, who were chasing three breakaways - Victorian winner Amy Bunnage and a QLD pair. Over the second 2km lap, Lily maintained that place, crossing the line fourth Aussie in 15:10, just four seconds from the podium. Next best NSW athlete was Alexia Kalamvokis – 12th Aussie in 15:56.

WOMEN U17 4KM

The under-17 4km was dominated by Queenslanders with the State filling the first six positions. NSW pair Olivia Greenhalgh and Abby Ballhausen led our charge claiming places 7th and 8th, respectively, in times of 15:35 and 15:40.

In the combined U18 & 17 team event Queensland won with 14 pts, from Victoria on 37 pts and NSW third with 52 pts.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Jade Kitching on the way to victory in the U17 6km event. (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)