NSW All Schools - Juniors day 2: Mason McGroder magic in the long jump

7 October 2023

NSW All Schools - Juniors day 2: Mason McGroder magic in the long jump

Day two at the Junior NSW All Schools Athletics Championships was another great day with many athletes stamping themselves as future Australian representatives.

Mason McGroder leaps to a long jump record

At the 2021 NSW All Schools Trinity Grammar’s Mason McGroder cleaned up the 13-years horizontal jumps with comfortable wins leaping distances of 5.97m (long jump) and 12.50m (triple jump). He would miss the 2022 championships with injury but has made a significant impact on his return this year winning the 15-years long jump with a 7.09m PB, adding 19cm to the meet record held by John Thornell. The performance came a couple weeks after he won the Combined Associated Schools long jump with a then PB 7.05m.

“The season is coming together,” said McGroder. The current Australian under-16 triple jump champion is easing back into triple jump, conscious of previous injuries including hamstring tendinopathy, so won’t triple jump here.

“I’ll be back into triple jump definitely at juniors,” he said.

McGroder’s long jump was also the longest at the championships for three years, despite being only just 15.

Break through performance for Naomi Krajancic

At the Nationals last April in Brisbane, it was a close NSW 1-2 in the under-14 girls 400m, with Orange’s Adelaide Pittis taking the title from Killarney Heights High School student Naomi Krajancic 57.30 to 57.37. But six months on, Krajancic has stepped up with an impressive PB winning time of 55.36 - a 13-years NSW All Schools meet record.

“It was about a second and a half PB,” said Krajancic.

“I’ve been racing her (Adelaide Pittis) for a few years now and I don’t think I’ve ever beaten her before.”

Krajancic has been doing athletics since year 4 and only started training in years 7.

Another title for steeplechase specialist Pipi Te Pania

Northen Beaches Secondary School student Pipi Te Pania continues to build her portfolio of performances. Last year she won the 14-years 2000m steeplechase title in 7:20, then this year she has improved 11 seconds to clock 7:09.33 to claim the 15-years title this weekend. She certainly is the one to beat in Australian athletics, as last summer she won two National titles, the Australian All Schools in Adelaide and Australian Juniors in Brisbane in April.

“The girls are really good and I needed to run well today to get the win,” said Te Pania.

Almost invincible over the barries, she is back to the back on the flat.

“I’m not the best on the flat on the track, but good at cross country and that can be hills so I feel like steeple is a similar tempo,” she explained. “I’m aiming to improve my 1500m time on the track, but I really like my cross country too.”

Emerging javelin star - Tallara Joseph-Riogi

One of the best performances of the day was in the 14-years javelin by Canterbury Girls High’s Tallara Joseph-Riogi. After a stunning 46.63m throw at the Combined High Schools last month, she backup that performance with a meet record throw of 44.51m today, adding nearly two metres to the record. However, for keen observers she does have form, as this is her third consecutive win, taking the 12 and 13-year titles previously, with the 12-years performance a meet record.

Other notable performances:

• After breaking the 13-years 400m meet record in the heats with a time of 52.22, Newcastle’s Ashton Foley ran another great race in the final, clocking 52.95 to take the title by over two seconds.

• Pushed all the way to the line, Barker College’s Xavier Perry held off Olly McDonald in a thrilling 15-years 400m with both rewarded with sub-50 second times. Perry going 49.56 and McDonald 49.91.

• Allegra Little made a leap forward in the 13-years long jump, winning the title after placing fourth last year. The Sutherland Shire student, compiled a terrific series of jumps, 5.36m, 5.43m, 5.23m and 5.26m – all jumps would have won the title over Endeavour High’s Jade Strahl who leapt 5.22m.

• After wisely leading early in the Boys 14-years 2000m Steeplechase to say out of the traffic in the large field, Hills athlete Cameron Bloem, slipped back to third mid-race, but steamed home over the last lap, sprinting all the way to the finish to claim his first steeplechase title in an impressive 6:22.04.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Images: Long jumper Mason McGroder (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)