NSW All Schools Day 4 Review: Stewart smashes state record

7 December 2020

NSW All Schools Day 4 Review: Stewart smashes state record

More tailwinds on the final day of the competition resulted in the blitz of the records continuing, as the ACPE NSW All Schools Championships ended on a high. The highlight on day four was the powerful front running by Imogen Stewart in the 15-years 1500m where she easily ran the fastest ever time in the championships history, but also broke the NSW under-16 record.

The championships have undoubtedly been the best ever. By why?

Due to the lateness of the championships, and therefore athletes were all two months older; less school competitions mid-year, resulting in the athletes fresher and keener for competition; more 17-year-old HSC students able to compete as it was post their exams and the near perfect wind conditions throughout the championships; yielded a record championships where not only meet records were broken, but personal bests and exciting clashed resulted.

On Friday Imogen Stewart (PLC) had run the fastest ever 3000m at the championships and she added the 1500m to her achievements on day four of the meet. The wind conditions were not ideal, but that was not going to stop Stewart as she stormed to victory in a six seconds PB time of 4:17.70 to snip nearly three seconds from the race record and NSW under-16 record of 4:20.24 held by Catherine Miller.

“In the recent State 3000m I went through the first 1500m in 4:24 so I thought I could break my 1500m PB (4:23) which dates back to year six,” she said.

The medal maid for the 1500m was Suzy Walsham who held the 3000m mark that Stewart broke and still holds five meet record, 30 years after she set them in the late 80s and early ‘90s.

The hurdlers lapped up the windy conditions with four athletes breaking six records. Billy Blair (St Josephs college) and Delta Amidzovski (Corpus Christian) twice lowered their meet records, in the heat, then the final. Blair’s performances were both with legal winds. He ran 12.60 in his 14-years 90m hurdles heat, then destroyed that new mark clocking 12.08 in the final.

Was he nervous ahead of the final after breaking the record in the heat?

“I was pretty confident and ready to go,” said the year 8 student who also plays rugby and basketball.

Coached by Shaun Edwards, Blair was already the national leader following his wind assisted 12.21 last month and wind-legal run of 12.45 at the GPS in August.

In the 14-years 90m hurdles Delta Amidzovski was untroubled in the heat winning in a wind assisted time of 12.56, clipping 0.02 seconds from the meet record. In the final, the wind was a stronger 4.4m/s, pushing Amidzovski to a quick 12.45. It was her fourth title and third meet record.

After just missing the 16-years 100m hurdles record in the heat, the record was ‘on’ in the final for Abbotsleigh’s Georgia Fichardt. She had clocked a PB 13.97, just 0.05 seconds from the record. In the final, again with a legal wind, she claimed the record with a national leading time of 13.86.

“My other events weren’t as good as I hoped, so I wanted to put everything into this,” said Fichardt who is coached by Andy Burton.

“I’ve been training really hard and I guess it has paid off.”

During this challenging year where competition opportunities were limited, she gained a new perspective on her sport.

“It kind of made me realise athletics is what I want to do and focus on more. It feels really good to be able to compete after everything had been cancelled, especially nationals which I had really been looking forward too. So it is amazing to compete again.”

In the boys 15-years 100m hurdles Rashid Kabba (Westfields) had threatened the 13 seconds barrier this summer, but in the final he nailed it clocking 12.94 with a legal wind, breaking the meet record, but just missing the NSW under-16 record. He was pushed all the way by Goulburn’s Joshua Kalozi (Mulwaree High) who ran 13.03. On Sunday, Kabba also won the long jump, adding to his earlier silver in the 200m and bronze in the 100m.

In the 12-years 1500m South Coast’s Thomas Partland (The Kings School) took over three seconds from the record, clocking 4:34.16. He also led Holy Cross’s Alex Marshall under the old standard as he clocked 4:36.00.

Partland, who has this year started as a border at The Kings School, won a rare treble – the 400m, 800m and 1500m.

Did he think he had a opportunity to win these events?

“I though I had a chance but I was itching for the 800m and then the 1500m happened and in the 400m I gave it everything I had and felt really good,” said Partland a year 7 student.

“All were personal bests, the 800m by two seconds, 1500m by three seconds and 400m about 0.6 seconds.”

It was a busy championships for Pymble Ladies College’s Grace Townsend who won an extortionary seven medals. She won the 400m, long jump and high jump and also placed in the 200m, 800m, triple jump and hurdles.

“My favourite and best event is the 400m,” said the Manly Little Athletics Centre athlete.

The year 7 student is also in the NSWIS soccer development squad where she is a striker.

After starting at high school this year, suddenly she was studying at home. How did she manage?

“I communicated with friends on-line and in social media. Pymble setup Microsoft teams where we had classes and even assemblies. It felt like I was still at school.”

Two records were broken in the 400m events. Tamworth’s Liam Gordon won the 14-years 200/400m double – a significant step-up in performance standard by him. In the 400m he ran 50.75 to win by 1.57 seconds.

How was he handling the tough schedule of four high quality races in a few days?

“It is killing me,” he said. “After yesterday my legs were killing me, but this morning when I woke up my legs were better but a bit sore.”

How did the race unfold?

“I tried to stride down the back straight then hit it again at the 100m and bring it home.”

How is he feeling about his achievements?

“It feels amazing to be able to do all these things that I didn’t expect to be able to do.”

In the 14-years girls 400m, Monte Sant Angelo student, Ruby Worrell took down one of the better records of the meet, when she clocked 55.35 to break Jamie-Lee Hoebergen’s record of 55.57, set in 2002. She was pushed to the line by the 200m champion Damita Betham who was probably favourite for the 400m. Both athletes smashed their PB, Worrell by 1.5 seconds and Betham by 0.75 seconds.

“It felt pretty hard, but I stuck to my race plan and ran as hard as I could to the finish,” said Worrell who is coached by Paul Switzer.

Hidden in the 19-years 400m field was para-athlete Edward Parker, who was looking for extra competition in his pursue of his dream to qualify for the Paris Paralympics.

Despite the less than desirable conditions, Parker convinced himself it was fine.

“The heat was stressful, but I tried to get into my head it was a nice day. I did pretty well,” he said.

The Lindsay Watson coached athlete placed seventh in 55.26 seconds.

“I’ve been averaging 55 seconds.”

He needs to get down to around 50 for Paris.

How has he managed this year?

“The study and training was hard, now I’m waiting on my test results, to see how I go and see what career I can look too,” he said.

Seven-metre long jumps are rare at these championships, but in all his three legal jumps, Newcastle’s Liam Fairweather exceeded that distance with a fantastic leap of 7.27m. We have to go back 32 years to find a longer jump at these championships.

“I’ve jumped 7.50m in training, so it was good jumping on seven weeks training due to a hamstring injury,” said Fairweather. He is coached by his dad Jason and recently sort guidance from long jump coaching legend Max Debnam. He is graduating this year and is aiming for physio or exercise and sports science at Newcastle University.

Trinity thrower, Jack Greaves narrowly missed the javelin record in the unhelpful conditions. Despite being held into a strong wind, Graves nailed a PB throw of 68.26m on his opening attempt, just short of the 45-year-old meet record distance of 68.68m.

“It (the wind) skewed the javelin, but I got a couple down the middle of the sector which were fine,” he said.

Coached by Rhys Stein, Greaves won by 14 metres, adding to his nine-metre discus win.

In the 19-years women’s javelin, world junior prospect Lianna Davidson (Winmalee H), nailed a good distance of 49.18m, her longest throw this summer. The competitive 17-years competition continued in the girls long jump where Alyssa Lowe’s one valid jump of 5.96m, being sufficient to defeat 6.13m jumper Katie Gunn (leaping 5.87m) and 100/200m champion, Jessica Laurance (5.83m).

Live results http://www.nswathletics.info/liveresults/

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Imogen Stewart (courtesy of David Tarbotton)