NSW All Schools - Juniors day 1: - Ashley Hogan on the rise

6 October 2023

NSW All Schools - Juniors day 1: - Ashley Hogan on the rise

On day one of the Junior NSW All Schools Athletics Championships we saw established stars continue their reign, but also the emergence of some bright new talent. It was a fourth consecutive win for hurdler Tammin Lampret and a second consecutive record for race walker Sophie Polkinghorne, while in the field exciting new athletes emerging include discus thrower Ashley Hogan and Csenge Zsuzsanna Zsombor in the pole vault.

Ashley Hogan spinning his future

Just a year after taking up the sport, 14-year-old Ashley Hogan is making stunning progress. Last summer, in his very first season he won the 13-years Australian All Schools discus title with a throw of 47.91m and then in April this year the Australian U15 title with a best of 51.17m.

But this summer he has already thrown over 60 metres, although he had to settle for a best of 56.62m today in the 14-years discus. He won nine metres and far superior to last year’s winning distance of 50 metres.

“Today I was about four metres off my PB - it wasn’t a good day for me,” said Hogan who has already thrown over 60 metres this summer. He explained why he was below his best: “I strained a muscle in my back last week.”

Hogan played some soccer when he was younger, but it was the influence of a coach in the school gym that put him on his athletics pathway.

“I had a school athletics carnival approaching and started going to the gym where I meet my coach. He said why don’t you come along and try athletics. I originally started in the shot, but it wasn’t my best, so my coach said to try discus. I picked it up really fast.” Staggeringly that was just 18 months ago.

He was fortunate that the gym coach was a very accomplished thrower himself - Michel Hemmings. Just prior to the Sydney Olympics, the former South American, who had won the Central American and Caribbean Championships title, threw 64.44m but would miss the Olympic Games due to injury. Since moving to Australia, Hemmings has resumed athletes as a very handy Masters athlete.

Fourth consecutive title for hurdler Tammin Lampret

Tammin Lampret maintained a perfect record in the sprint hurdles at the NSW All Schools winning her fourth consecutive title today – the 15 years 90m hurdles. After a swift heat time of 12.75, she won the final in 12.69 seconds into a strong 1.4m/s wind. She held off her training partner and school mate, Neve Jenkins who has given her some battles over the years. Her first win was in 2020, when she won the 80m hurdles in 13.00 seconds.

Sophie Polkinghorne breaks her idols record

On a windy day, with head winds for the hurdles, meet records were scare, but one athlete to smash the best mark on record, was race walker Sophie Polkinghorne in the 13-years 3000m walk. The Australian champion took out the race, defeating all age divisions, to clock 14:17.28.

“It was about six seconds off my PB, but a pretty good time,” said Polkinghorne. “We went out a bit hard and it was difficult to maintain that pace, but that is something to work on for the next race.”

Polkinghorne was excited to break the record of Allanah Pitcher who recently competed at the world championships.

“It was amazing (to break her record). Allanah is one of my idols and I’ve looked up to her.”

Polkinghorne’s championships has just started as she will lineup in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m over the next two days.

Csenge Zsuzsanna Zsombor records the best vault for five years

Year 7 student, Csenge Zsuzsanna Zsombor kicked off her NSW All Schools journey with a record and the best pole vault at the championships for five years. Winning the 13-years pole vault with a clearance of 3.21m, she also broke her age record by 11cm.

“I felt good about the result as it was my first ever record and I nearly jumped a PB of 3.31m,” said Zsombor.

Other notable performances:

• The boys 13, 14 and 15 years shot put winners achieved some impressive marks in 2023. Kalisi Aualiilta nailed 16.18m in the 13-years; Deniliquin’s Connor Wilson reached 16.22m, while Joey Cluff overcame a discus defeat to win the 15-years shot with a mark of 17.22m. In the girls 14-year-old Irina Kapsalis surpassed the 15 years with her winning distance of 13.47m.

• The Kings’ School student Mark Everett, competing in the 12-14 years Para events, defended his shot and discus titles this year. He also improved on his 2022 performances, this year reaching 10.11m in the shot and 32.98m in the discus.

• Talented allrounder, Knox Grammar’s Davin Yap won the 13-years high jump after claiming silver in the 90m hurdles.

• After winning the walk in 2020 (12 years) and 2021 (13 years), last year Alexander Sinnett placed second. But this year returned to the top of the podium, winning the 15-years 3000m walk in a time of 14:52.14.

• Oliver Facer just missed the meet record in the 15-years 100m hurdles, clocking 12.95 into a head win. He missed the record of 12.94 but just 0.01 seconds.

• Australian champion, Eliza Lawton was the most impressive in the 1500m races, taking out the 13-year race in 4:33.10 – excellent in the windy conditions.

• In the distance races there were some very large fields, including the 14-years boys where there were a number with genuine claims on the title. In a tactical race, Orange High’s Hunter Brown was a surprise winner in 4:22.64. He is in just his second year of competing after his first winter of training.

• Records are not often broken in the heats, but Newcastle’s Ashton Foley took down the 13-years boys 400m in his heat, clocking 52.22, to lower the previous record set in 1997. How fast can the Vanessa Price coached athlete run in the final? Action resumes at 9:50pm Saturday.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Images: Ashley Hogan in the 14-years discus (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)