NSW Juniors REVIEW Day 1: Louison-Roe treble

8 March 2024

NSW Juniors REVIEW Day 1: Louison-Roe treble

On International women’s day it certainly was the girls who shone on day one of the NSW Junior Championships at Homebush, highlighted by Izzi Louison-Roe and Delta Amidzovski.

Louison-Roe wins high, long and hurdles

On day one, Izzi Louison-Roe had a busy day ahead of her speciality the triple jump, scheduled for Saturday afternoon. She opened her campaign with a 6.11m in the under-18 long jump defeating archrival and Commonwealth Youth Games bronze medallists Grace Krause who leapt 5.96m. Izzi was just 2cm short of her PB and within reach of the world junior standard of 6.20m. Next up she out gunned the field in the 100m hurdles clocking 14.19. After a rest it was onto the high jump. Waiting nearly an hour in the sun to start jumping she opened at 1.70m, going on to sail over 1.80m, before some close attempts at 1.85m for the weary jumper.

Delta double

Delta Amidzovski delivered her usual double, with wins in the under-20 100m hurdles and long jump. She clocked a solid 13.61 in the hurdles, but in the long jump leapt her longest jump on Australian soil with 6.20m - only bettered by her Commonwealth Youth gold medal winning mark of 6.34m.

Hatfield jumps high

After clearing 2.08m in the under-20 high jump and just missing three very good attempts at 2.13m, Sydney Pacific’s Mitchell Hatfield is confident he can clear 2.12m – the world junior standard.

“The first one (attempt at 2.13m) felt really good and even the other two I had the height I just need to figure out where I am in the air and where I am in my runup,” remarked Hatfield. “Refine it a little bit and I will get there. It will come.”

Telaya terrific as Paris Paralympics become a reality

Sutherland’s Telaya Blacksmith has surprised with a Paris Paralympics B qualifier in the T20 400m. Competing the night before at the Blacktown High Velocity meet, she ran 58.95 to dip under the B standard of 59.05.

“It was good, but challenging as well,” she said today at the NSW Junior Championships.

Competing in able-body races provides Telaya with more competition.

“It was good to have someone in front of me so I could push myself and get a better time.”

She will need to clock more B qualifiers to put herself in the mix for selection. Australia will have limited quota spots and she will be competing against other Aussies in other events and other classifications to earn a spot.

Primarily a short sprinter, it has been a challenge for Telaya to embrace a newer event the 400m – her best chance for selection. Her journey has also been supported and embraced by her coach Jacinta Doyle and squad.

Some of the squad comments were: "You are an incredible athlete Telaya! Congratulations - amazing achievement." And "Congratulations Telaya such amazing news and so deserved."

Today at the NSW Juniors she was second in the Ambulant U20 400m in 61.41 seconds.

Isaac Beacroft wins, but not in the race walk

Maybe he was inspired by the incredible come-from-behind 1500m win at the World Indoors by Kiwi George Beamish, but either way, Isaac Beacroft unleashed a devastating last lap to more from fourth into a clear winner in the under-18 3000m clocking 8:40.63. After clocking laps around 72 seconds, Isaac’s last was 64.9 seconds, while his opposition ran times of 66 seconds (Cooper Phillips 2nd), 72 (Matt McLachlan 3rd) and 73 (Harry Hallen 4th).

In brief:

• Sam Perkins threw a PB of 64.92m in the U20 Hammer Throw and is within three metres of the world junior qualifier.
• In the U18 Hammer, Ky Garratt continues to impress with a staggering four metres PB throw of 65.86m.
• There was a surprise win in the under-20 javelin by Hornsby’s Isabelle Cruickshank with a distance of 47.59m - less than two metres from the world junior standard. She has improved over seven metres this summer. Favourite for the event was Tali Baltineshter who was second with a throw of 45.90m.
• Zoe Woods clocked a 17 seconds 5000m race walk PB time of 23:07.07 to win the under-18 event as she moves towards possible world junior selection on the road or track.
• Rashid Kabba recaptured some terrific hurdle form, destroying his PB as he clocked a world junior qualifier of 13.86 seconds. He now joins a list of five qualifiers and sits as the third fastest. In second, Tim Forster recorded his second qualifier clocking 14.18 seconds. For these five, and any other qualifier, the trials in Adelaide in April will decide the two team places for Lima, Peru in August. Rashid’s coach at Westfields, Dan Suchy noted it was his seventh consecutive hurdles win at the NSW juniors.

National Para Athletics records

Matt Rawlings has compiled a list of National Para records on day one, some are inaugural marks:

-Hussein Choker (T38) U17 Para 100m. Record was 12.73. Time Hussein ran today 12.58

-Zac Harding (T36) U17 Para 100m. Record was 16.55. Time Zac ran today 15.36

-Alexander Evans (T13) U17 Para 100m. Record was vacant. Time Alexander ran today 15.39

-Telaya Blacksmith (T20) U20 Para 100m. Record was 12.79. Telaya ran today 12.78

-Archie Dixon (T38) U15 Para 100m. Record was vacant. Archie ran today 13.52

-Xavier Wilson (T12) U15 Para 100m. Record was vacant. Zavier ran today 15.33

-Archie Dixon (T38) U15 Para 400m. Record was 59.32. Archie ran today 58.42

-Xavier Wilson (T12) U15 Para 400m. Record was vacant. Xavier ran today 1.10.90

-Zac Harding (T36) U17 Para 400m. Record was vacant. Zac ran today 1.29.31

-Xavier Wilson (F12) U15 Para Discus. Record was vacant. Xavier threw 17.15m

-Lachlan Margetson (F21) U15 Para Discus. Record was 8.68m. Lachlan threw 10.16m

-Alexander Evans (F13) U17 Para Discus. Record was vacant. Alexander thew 13.73m

-Mark Everett (F38) U17 Para Discus. Record was 30.41. Mark threw 30.77m

-Nathan Barbara (F61) U20 Para Discus. Record was vacant. Nathan threw 12.98m

-Rhiannon Bellette (F45) U17 Para Discus. Record was 10.45. Rhiannon threw 12.51m

-Lachlan Margetson (F21) U15 Para Javelin. Record was 5.64. Lachlan threw 7.10m

-Zac Harding (F36) U17 Para Javelin. Record was 16.61. Zac threw 18.39m.

-Dominic Baker (F37). U17 Javelin. Record was 8.63. Dominic threw 10.36m

-Rhiannon Bellette (F45) U17 Javelin. Record was vacant. Rhiannon threw 8.87m

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Izzi Louison-Roe in the high jump (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)