NSW All Schools Athletics Championships: Commonwealth Youth stars return

19 September 2023

NSW All Schools Athletics Championships: Commonwealth Youth stars return

Just five weeks after they made their international debut at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, NSW 10 emerging stars are back in action at the 2023 NSW All Schools Athletics Championships starting Saturday at Homebush. But such is the depth in NSW juniors, many face very tough competition to win.

Commonwealth Youth discus throw champion, George Wells (Narara Valley H), has a battle royal in both the 17-years shot put and discus events. In Trinidad and Tobago he launched the 1.5kg discus out to 56.75m to take gold. Upon return to Sydney he was in a battle at the NSW Combined High Schools State championships were he held off rising decathlon star Angus Clues by just 1 cm – 57.17m to 57.16m. Wells, now under new coach Dennis Knowles, the mastermind behind Australia’s greatest women’s discus thrower Dani Stevens, will be aiming to again hold off Clues and match his PB of 58.68m. In the shot, Wells lines up against Australian under-16 shot put record holder Amosia Soatini (Trinity Grammar) who recently won the Combined Associated Schools title.

Australia’s top-2 under-18 100m hurdles Delta Amidzovski and Jasynta Lampret meet again this weekend. Both members of the Australian Commonwealth Youth Games team, Amidzovski won in Trinidad and Tobago, while Lampret was sixth after hitting some hurdles. Amidzovski, who also won gold in the long jump, has clear air between her and the horizontal jumps field this weekend. Lampret will compete in the sprints, starting favourite in the 200m. Her Commonwealth Youth Games will be remembered for two outstanding 400m legs in the mixed gender relay heat and final, where she anchored Australia to bronze.

Jackson Love (Northern Beaches Secondary College), a dual medallist in the para 100m and long jump at the Commonwealth Youth Games, will narrow his focus at the NSW All Schools this weekend to the 17-19 years 100m and 200m. Last year he won the 15-16 years 100m, with his leading competition coming from last year’s bronze medallist Malachi Canning from Coff Harbour.

In the 16-years jumps, is the feature athlete Izzi Louison-Roe. In Trinidad and Tobago Louison-Roe won bronze in the high jump, but has since cleared an extraordinary 1.86m – a leap that moved her into the top-15 juniors (U20) in Australia history, Louison-Roe is still only 16. She will also start favourite in the two horizontal jumps.

Middle-distance star Fleur Cooper (Mackellar Girls), a bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Youth Games, faces just as strong competition upon her return to Australia. In the 16-years half-mile she lines up against Sarah Baker (Pymble LC) and defending champion, Ivy Boothroyd (Endeavour Sports H), who won last year won in a record time. All three athletes are set to destroy the current record of 2:08.24. Over 1500m Cooper also has Baker and the improving Newcastle athlete Annabelle Miller to contend with.

NSW’s other Commonwealth Youth Games representatives, Daniel Williams (16y 800m & 1500m), Chelsy Wayne (16y discus) and Matthew Hunt (17y 400m hurdles) all start favourites in their events this weekend.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: George Wells - gold medallist discus throw Commonwealth Youth Games