NSW Cross Country: Final winter season event for Para-athletes

12 October 2020

NSW Cross Country: Final winter season event for Para-athletes

On the weekend, with the track season upon us, many of NSW’s para athletes took the opportunity for their last winter season racing opportunity at the 2020 NSW Cross Country Championships, held at Wollongong. Many of the athletes have missed competition due to restrictions around COVID but now have a summer of track ahead of them.

A delayed Paralympics is an opportunity for Kyle McIntosh (Sutherland) to continue his improvement under coach Lindsay Watson.

“Lindsay has been training me hard to get ready for the track season and put in my claim for selection for the Tokyo Paralympics next year,” said McIntosh who will be chasing a time of 4:00 minutes in the 1500m.

He won his second cross country title of the year in Wollongong, winning the open Para men’s 3km event.

“I found the course more challenging compared to the Short Course as today we included the back loop and it was warmer conditions.”

Another athlete to claim their second cross country title this winter was Mingara’s Oscar Melbourne, a deaf athlete. He clocked 8:12 to win the under-13 para 2km event.

Under coach Tom Ristuccia for the last three years, Melbourne is looking forward to the track season.

“I like the 800m, I prefer the shorter distances on the track as longer events can be boring,” said the Year 6 student. “I have been doing athletics for four years after winning my first ribbon in 2016.”

Three other athletes that won at the NSW Short Course Cross Country events in July, won their second title in Wollongong. In the under-14 3km, RunCrew’s Layla Sharp clocked 13:23 for the win. For the visually impaired athlete, her guide was a pretty handy runner, dual Olympian Ben St Lawrence, who had the day prior placed third in the open men’s 10km. St Lawrence explained he has been getting tips about assisting as a guide runner from Australia’s leading visually impaired athlete and two-time world champion, Jaryd Clifford.

Hills athlete Matthew Engesser was another to win his second winter cross country title, clocking 13:26 in the under-14 Para 3km, as did Tamworth’s Abbie Peet who was first in the under-13 2km in a time of 10:37.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Images: Para athlete Layla Sharp and her guide dual Olympian Ben St Lawrence (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)