NSW All Schools Day 1 Review: Emily Smith hurdles into elite company

Published Fri 04 Dec 2020

4 December 2020

NSW All Schools Day 1 Review: Emily Smith hurdles into elite company

Finally, NSW teenagers are competing in a track and field championship in 2020. In a forgettable year where most school competitions were cancelled due to COVID, the ACPE NSW All Schools opened yesterday at Homebush, albeit 10 weeks later than usual. But that delay seemed a benefit to the athletes as they re-wrote the record books and laid down some of the best performances in the history of the meet, first held in 1936. In total 10 meet records were bettered on the outstanding day of competition.

In the morning session of day one of the ACPE NSW All Schools Championships, Stella Maris student, Emily Smith, just missed the meet record in the 16-years 400m hurdles. Clocking 61.03, Smith just missed the mark of 60.96, held by dual world champion, Jana Pittman. Smith’s time was also the third fastest in the history of the championships, only bettered by Pittman and recent world championships semi-finalist Sarah Carli.

“I felt pretty good going into it today. I just made sure I had my rhythm right between the hurdles,” said Smith who ran 15 strides to hurdle five and 16 strides home.

The time however was outside her best of 60.20.

“Last season my best was high 63 seconds, but recently it has been PB after PB.

“Over COVID I have been working hard and it has been paying off. My goals have just been PBs but definitely I need to make some new goals.”

No doubt this summer she will threaten for selection in the delayed 2021 World U20 championships.

Smith is co-coached by former Athletics NSW CEO, John Patchett and Olympian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor.

Her speed looks to be sort after by other sports as shortly after the race, she was travelling to compete in another sporting championship.

“After today’s race I’m going to Port Macquarie to play touch football tomorrow.”

Although his 4.75m meet record was not a PB, winner of the 19-years pole vault, Ethan Princena-White is making progress.

“My PB is 5.00m off 16 steps, but today was a new PB off 10 steps,” said the year 12 student who plans on going to Macquarie University in 2021 and studying Accounting.

Still age-eligible for the 2021 World Under-20 Championships he is awaiting the announcement of the standard which was 5.13m for the championship last year.

The first meet record of the championships was claimed by Dominic Panozzo (St Pius College) in the 17-years 400m hurdles clocking 53.06 to win by over two seconds. Panozzo broke the meet record held by former training partner Bryce Collins. Coached by Deb Walsham, the 400m hurdles is a relatively new event for Panozzo.

“I used to run 800s and was not the biggest fan as they were a bit long for me,” he said. “I never really trained for 4 hurdles, just ran 4 and 8s, but I have always been naturally flexible.”

It was also the fastest time ever recorded over the 84cm hurdles in the history of the championships.

Triple jump for girls has been held at these championships for 30 years, but today we witnessed Redlands triple jumper, Alexandra York leapt further than any athlete in the history of the championships to win in the 17 years event. After her opening effort of 12.30m, she twice broke the meet record of 12.37m, held by a Nicole Boegman-Stewart squad training partner Alexandra Peterson. York first leapt 12.59 and then a 12.62 windy.

“Getting a pb of 12.62 is a very promising start to the season and I’m hoping I can continue with the trend,” said.

York.

After just two years in the sport, Londonderry’s Olivia Dimech’s rise has been impressive, taking the 15 years triple jump record with a leap of 12.46m wind assisted.

“I did netball and gymnastics, but athletics was my favourite. I’ve stopped netball now and I’m focusing on athletics,” she said.

Coached by Marilyn Pearson, it was success at a school carnival when she got to the next level that influenced her decision to switch focus.

We can expect more from Dimech at these championships.

“I have previously focused more on the high jump, but during COVID I started to work also on triple jump.”

She competes in the high jump on Saturday.

The 16-year old boys and girls triple jump winners were also outstanding falling just short of the meet records. After some early board trouble Nakeisha Brimble (Meriden School) moved into top gear, twice surpassing her personal best with a best leap of 12.39. It fell just 5cm short of the meet record, but won the event by 1.5 metres. In the boys, high jumper Will Moir surprised himself with a massive personal best of 14.48 windy (and 14.39m legal).

Last year at these championships he jumped 13.02m, then through the rounds yesterday leapt 14.28m, 14.35m, 14.39m then 14.49m – representing a 1.46m improvement on his PB. It missed the meet record by just 1cm.

Coached by Olympic triple jumper Andrew Murphy, does this mean Moir will be changing his jumps emphasis from high jump?

“I like my high jump so we will see,” he said.

He is on target for a jumps treble at these championships.

Trinity Grammar distance star, Luca Gillard won his ‘fun’ event, the 14-years steeplechase, in an eight second PB time of 6:16.35.

“I have been doing the steeple this year for a bit of fun, but I do prefer the 1500m and 3k events,” he said.

In a relatively new event to the program, Lismore High’s Bailey Crabtree destroyed the meet record by a stunning 90 seconds in the 19-years 3000m steeplechase, clocking a highly impressive time of 9:35.32. Second placed Hamish Longworth (Shore School) was also very quick with a time of 9:52.47.

Just a handful of girls have dipped under seven minutes in the 2000m steeplechase at these championships, but yesterday we witnessed 15-year-old Alex Kalamvokis (PLC Sydney), come the closet for six years as she clocked a PB 7:00.10 to remove 10 seconds from the meet record. She also led Kambala’s Allegra McGivern under the old record as her time of 7:09.65 moved her into the top-12 all-time performances at the meet.

A feature of the championships were the large numbers of competitors in the race walking events. The mild conditions resulted in meet records and dozens of personal bests. Westfields Sports High’s Milly Broughton snipped six seconds from Allanah Pitcher’s 14 years 3000m walk record, clocking 14:03.71. It was just one second outside her recent PB. The early pace helped Broughton achieve the record.

“We started really fast 4:20 - for the first k and I normally only clock about 4:30 but I continued on well,” she said.

24-years ago, David Beacroft was winning gold and setting records at these championships. Yesterday his son, Isaac Beacroft (Oakhill College), won the 13-years 3000m walk, the same event his dad had won over two decades earlier. Like his dad, Isaac broke the meet record clocking 14:00.47.

Very impress yesterday was the performance of Killarney Heights race walker Elizabeth McMillen, taking nearly a minute off the meet record in the 16-years 5000m walk in a time of 24:08.64. In an event which has been on the program for 20 years, no athlete has ever walked so fast in the history of the event.

Oceania Championships bronze medallist, Renee Hardy (Windsor High) continued her progress at the NSW All Schools, nailing a PB of 57.97m to win the 17-years hammer throw. Coached by Bre Clement and Karyne Di Marco, Hardy has just competed her HSC exams and is aiming to study Herbal Medicine next year.

Hardy’s training partner, Salote Wolfgramm (St Lukes), left it to her last attempt to break the meet record in the 12-years girls hammer throw. Wolfgramm nailed a personal best of 32.99m, as she added nearly two metres to the meet record.

Some other highlights on day one:

Isabella Guthrie ran a quick 400m hurdles time of 61.90, to win the 17-years event.
Delta Amidzovski won her first gold of the meet in the 14-years 200m hurdles (28.51).
13-year-old Billy Blair just missed the 14-years 200m hurdles record clocking a wind assisted 26.43.
Cowra’s Ky Garratt won the 13 years hammer throw by eight metres with a mark of 46.51m.
Ryan Marshall’s winning 19-years triple jump mark of 14.80m, was the longest for 10 years and the third longest in the history of the meet.