NSW Open and Little Athletics Championships - REVIEW

24 March 2025

NSW Open and Little Athletics Championships - REVIEW

The historic combined 128th NSW Open Track and Field Championships and HART Sport 54th Little Athletics NSW Track and Field Championships (ages U9-U12) were a major success over the last four days.

Two athletes, Tim Heyes and Tom Hunt, recorded the best ever performances in their events in the 128-year history of the open championships.

UTS Norths hammer thrower Tim Heyes, launched the 7.2kg implement out to 68.00m – surpassing the longest throw ever at the NSW Championships. It was a his third State title.

On Saturday night the great season of current National 400m hurdles champion, Tom Hunt, continued with another impressive run, taking the State title with a time of 50.14 seconds – the fastest in the history of the State Championships. It was just outside his breakthrough sub-50 time a week ago at the Sydney Track Classic.

Luke Van Ratingen told: “You will never run again”

Over the last three seasons Luke Van Ratingen has emerged as a genuine star of Australian 400m running, but there have been ongoing challenges and setbacks along the way.

After winning the National 400m title at the end of the 2022/23 season, in Europe he injured his hamstring twice, ending that season. His 2023/24 season was terrific, including winning the high points scoring Oceania title. But during this time, he had an ongoing niggling injury.

“I was battling a reoccurring, overuse stress fracture in my big toe sesamoid,” said Luke.

“I have had problems with it for a few years but back in June (2024), when I was trying to qualify for Paris it was completely gone after my last race.”

That June race, where he equalled his PB, was a dramatic turning point for Luke. Not only was his Olympic campaign over but the long-term medical prognosis was grim.

“Two surgeons said I'd never run again.”

But over the two previous seasons Luke had show glimpses of brilliance and was determined to return.

“My physio, Andrew Clark, developed this program which kind of slowly exposed my toes to different elements of the track. What we did was we slowly got out of the boot, walked, did a jog, did 100 metre reps and then worked our way up to the point where we were incorporating bends and then the final aspect - spikes,” said Luke.

After eight months of rehabilitation and building up his training, he started his season two nights ago clocking 47.86 in the 400m heats of the State Championships. Then on Saturday night he stunned the field, and himself, clocking 45.64 to win the final. As he crossed the line, there was a release of emotion of what he had endured over the last few years and particularly eight months.

“As I crossed the line I started screaming because I had expected to run a 47 and I somehow ran 45. I’m just stoked and a little bit confused to be honest.”

His focus switched immediately.

“I wasn't planning any of this I was and tossing up whether or not I should run nationals or not because I thought the three races in a row would cook me and I just don't have the fitness but after today I definitely have way more confidence.”

Luke now joins a strong cohort of Aussie quarter-milers with seven now well under 46 seconds. They will likely target May’s World Relays where they will chase a 4x400m berth for the world championships.

Historic records smashed at NSW Little Athletics Championships

Olympian Fred Martin was on hand to witness his own 46-year-old Little Athletics Australia best performance broken in the 12s 400m by Eastern Suburbs’ Lachlan Chappell, who clocked 53.92 second – 1.22 seconds under Fred’s mark. Lachlan also claim the record in the 100m (11.87 in the heats) and 200m (24.22).  In the shot, Lachlan’s opening effort sailed past the championships best by just 2cm with his distance of 15.71. He also claimed a fifth title in the discus.

12s race walker Avia Luketic from Balmain, watched her 11s 1100m walk record broken by eight seconds by Ryde’s Stella Wade, but Avia Luketic, put her name back in the record books, when 20 minutes later she claimed the 12s 1500m race walking record clocking 7:17.15.

Eastern Suburbs athlete Harlow Pate has also enjoyed a very successful championships winning the 11s sprint treble. In the 400m she erased from the record books Michelle Moroney’s time of 61.34 set 47 years ago. It was later equalled by, a current coach at these championships, Jacinta Doyle, in 2001. Harlow’s 400m time was 57.20. Moroney’s 100m record of 12.94, did survive Harlow who clocked 12.98 in the heats.

The 12s boys 800m was an intriguing event. Balmain’s Alexander Miller came into the championships with a seed of 2:26, which ranked him 13th and seeded him in the first race or effectively the ‘B’ heat. He ran a great solo race clocking 2:15.47. But would it hold up for gold from the quicker boys in the second seeded race? In a closely fought ‘A’ race, they also ran faster than their seed times, but would ultimately miss Alexander’s time and take the silver and bronze medals.

It has been a terrific campaign by Prospect’s Ben Spadaro, breaking the championship best of 12.28 in the 12s 80m heats with a time of 12.08. In the final he was also under the old mark, clocking 12.20 into a 2m/s headwind.

Manly Warringah’s Josephine Han claimed a second consecutive 800m record on Sunday. Last year she won in 2:27.52 to set the 10s championship best, then this year sliced over five seconds from the record with 2:19.76 in the 11s 800m.

Colyton St Clair athlete Zaviar Tanielu-Park was impressive in the 11s discus adding nearly a metre to the record with a throw of 42.59m. Second in the discus was Nepean’s Harrison Forth, who matched Zaviar, by taking down the javelin record with a throw of 35.94m and winning by over five metres.

Thrilling men’s long jump

In damp condition, the crowd was treated to a thrilling men’s open long jump battle which went down to the last two jumps.

Maitland’s Liam Fairweather, the defending champion, had leapt a PB of 7.65m in Canberra this summer. He opened solidly with a leap of 7.32m.

Newcastle’s Sam Taylor, a 7.86m long jump, who has cleared 7.69m this summer, was struggling to get past 7.00m. But World Junior silver medallist, 16-year-old Mason McGroder, was toiling away with jumps of 7.29m, 7.28m and 7.26. In round five, Liam gave himself a few more centimetres buffer with a leap of 7.36m – 7cm ahead of Mason.

But on the second last jump of the competition, Mason seized the lead with a leap of 7.40m. Liam would have one more attempt and, on the competition’s, last jump, he soared out to 7.41m to defend his title, but just 1cm.

Ella Randazzo primed to join Australia’s elite 400m ranks

Seven years ago after winning an underage National 400m title, Sutherland’s Ella Randazzo, has over the last two season started to recapture that brilliant teenage form, winning the NSW 400m open title on Saturday night in an equal PB time of 53.88.

“I've had a really good last couple years, been really consistent, haven't had too many hiccups,” said Ella.

“The few years before were bit of a rough patch so it's just been about staying like healthy and in one piece and it's made all the difference. My coach has been amazing, and I trust her with everything, and she knows how to get me to my best. “

“I won the under 17s back in 2018 and then was off the scene for a few years with some health issues and injuries.”

Many athletes struggle with the junior to senior transition years, does she have any advice?

“If you know what you want, you have just got to fight for it and have trust in yourself to get back to where you were. It can get dark and it can get a bit scary, like you don't know what's going to happen, but if you back yourself, and show up every day, it's all going to play out. It's going to work out.”

Virtus World Athletics Championships

Many of the T20 Para athletes at the NSW Championships were chasing qualifiers for the next Virtus World Athletics Championships (formerly Global Games), with the next edition to be held in Brisbane in October.

Those who achieved qualifiers were are below. There selection will rest in the hands of the selectors.

Belinda Scott 800m 2.40.82, 1500m 5.35.13

Kyle Mcintosh 1500m 4.23.09

Telaya Blacksmith 100m 12.86, 200m 26.68, 400m 59.88, Long Jump 4.93m

Edward Parker 100m 11.76, 200m 23.78, 400m 52.80

Sammy Muamba 100m 11.32, 200m 22.56

Lisa Weingartner 100m 14.46, 200m 31.18

Malachi Canning Javelin 38.43m, Discus 25.06m

Blake Carr Discus 30.34m

When bronze is gold

Last week in the Sydney Track Classic, Godfrey Okerenyang, broke his 6-year-old 100m PB. Since he set that mark in 2019, he has endured ongoing injury. But he has persevered with training, and is now in Sydney under coach Rob Marks. At the State Championships this weekend, he saved his effort for the 200m and was rewarded with a milestone bronze medal.

Similarly, 21-year-old Alice Dixon won a career landmark bronze in the NSW open 400m championship on Saturday night. An Australian 200m champion as far back as the U14s in 2016, with the guidance of coaches Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Katie Edwards, she has battled through the challenging transition years from junior to senior. The last couple of years she gradated to the 400m and has laid down a series of consistent times recently. This summer after two improvements to her PB, now down to 55.03, she broke through in the NSW open Championship heats with 54.50, before going even quicker in the final with 54.44 to claim the bronze medal.

In brief

19-year-old Tamworth athlete Jessie Fotheringham clocking her second PB in a week, running 10:09.32 to win the open 3000m steeplechase – moving her to number 5 Australian junior all-time. She clipped three seconds from her winning time last weekend in the NSW U20 Championships.

The women’s pole vault was a thriller with the top-4 all clearing 3.60m and the places decided on count back. Naomi Gibson’s early clean sheet and second attempt clearance at 3.60m, was sufficient for her to take the title from Lizzy Baral who won her first open title in 2013. In third was Megan Seve, just ahead of 14-year-old Csenge Zsuzsanna Zsombor.

It was a second 200m title in three years for Central Coast physio, Bronte Carroll.

The late summer progress of Blue Mountains teenager continued in the open men’s 800m, when William Zakis sliced another second from his PB, to clock 1:51.43 and take bronze with a strong last 200m. He has now taken nearly four seconds from his preseason PB.

In the long jump there was a return to form by 2-time National champion, Samantha Dale leaping 6.37m - her best distance for 11 months. She held off World U20 champion Delta Amidzovski who leapt 6.17m.

The open women’s discus competition was effectively over in round one, when 17-year-old World U20 Championships representative, Chelsy Wayne, launched the 1kg implement out to a PB distance of 52.25m. It was her second consecutive title for the Athletics Wollongong athlete.

Westfields athlete, Bryce Nolan won the shot/discus double, including a shot PB distance of 15.75m.

Rio Paralympian Tamsin Colley set an Australian record in the T36 800m of 2:49.04. She lowered her own record by over three seconds. It was also a world best.

There was a terrific women’s shot-put competition with just 64cm separating the top-5. Sally Shokry was the surprise winner with a distance of 14.12m – adding 7cm to her PB set way back in 2021.

There was a fantastic competition in the men’s pole vault with Newcastle super-coach Ben James, pushing Australia’s number two this season, Aiden Princena-White.

Ben who has improved an extraordinary 35cm this summer, cleared a new PB of 5.20m. Overcoming some early misses Aiden, negotiated his equal second-best height of his career – 5.40m.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Luke Van Ratingen (courtesy of David Tarbotton)