NSW Relays Championships Review

18 November 2023

NSW Relays Championships Review

MEDAL TALLY

After two consecutive runner-up finishes to Sutherland, UTS Norths top the medal tally in 2024 with 24 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze and a total of 34 medals. Sutherland with 23 medals are second ahead of Bankstown with 20. Leading country club is Mingara with 4G, 3S, 5B, for a total of 12 medals ahead of Athletics Wollongong - 2G, 4S, 2B for a total of 8 medals.

Some of the big movers have been Bankstown from 20th and 15th in the last two years to second in 2024. Another is Trinity (& Meriden) from 9th and 15th in the two previous years to 4th this year with 7G, 5S, 7B and 19 total medals. Also significant progress from Balmain from 17th and 20th previously to 5th this year (6G, 6S, 5B total 17).

A special mention to Ryde – second consecutive top-6, Athletics Easts – third consecutive top-10 and Nepean from 26th and 43rd to 13th this year.

Medal tally (in order of most golds): U.T.S. Norths 24-5-5=34, Bankstown 9-7-4=20, Sutherland 8-9-6=23, Trinity 7-5-7=19, Balmain 6-6-5=17, Ryde 6-6-5=17, Athletics East 6-3-2-11, Sydney University 5-7-5=17, Illawong Revesby 5-7-3=15, Campbelltown 5-7-1=13, Manly Warringah 5-5-8=18, Hills District 5-5-7=17, Nepean 5-0-0=5, NSW Masters 4-4-5=13, Hills District Little Athletic 4-4-5=13, Eastern Suburbs Little Athleti 4-4-1=9, Mingara 4-3-5=12, St. George 4-0-1=5, Wests 3-2-2=7, Camden 3-1-6=10, Westfields 3-1-3=7, Athletics Wollongong 2-4-2=8

National recordholder Rachael Massey returns: WOMEN 4x100m 200+

Eight years ago the UTS Norths line-up of Monique Perry, Kylie Strong, Yael Reed and Renee Robson set a still standing 4x100m 120+ record of 49.45. Eight years on, with the nucleus of the team, Monique Perry and Yael Reed still members of the line-up, the squad was on the hunt for replacements. A tough ask was to replace National representative Robson, but they found a pretty handy substitute in Rachael Jackson. For 25 years, Rachael was a co-holder of the Australian open women’s 4x100m record, set in 1999 (team included Melinda Gainsford-Taylor). On Saturday Rachael joined Monique Perry, Yael Reed and another new recruit Liz Morison to take the title in 52.05.

Uni NSW – fastest for nearly a decade: MEN 4x100m Open

The blue-ribbon event of the meet rarely fails to disappoint. Having won seven of the last 10 titles and after a slick win in the 4x200m on Saturday, Sydney University undoubtedly had the firepower to win the double in 2024. There were fireworks in the heats with University of NSW clocking the fastest time at the championships for five year - 40.65, to just hold off Sydney University with 40.71 – both seeded in heat two. In the final University of NSW went even fastest – clocking 40.12, the fastest NSW club team time for nine years, since the meet record of 39.51 was set in 2015. Sydney University were close running 40.43. Camden showed terrific depth with third and fourth. UNSW, who were second in 2021, were boosted this year with the arrival from Queensland of Zane Branco – who ran a 20.70 200m a few months ago in Europe. Zane, now specialising in the long jump, leapt a PB 7.99m this year and is now under the tutelage of Andrew Murphy. Running on the second leg form UNSW was one of the finds of 2023, Leonard King who has a PB of 10.41. Also very handy were Christopher Geordis with 10.44 speed and junior international hurdler Ivor Metcalf with a best of 10.83. They were coached by Brian Wright.

Sydney Uni’s line included four sub-10.70 athletes, Ethan Quintana, Tom Tucker, Iram Palma and 10.31 athlete Joseph Ayoade.

Scott Richardson returns: MEN 4x100m 200+

At the NSW All Schools Ulladulla High’s Scott Richardson remains our second fastest ever behind Matt Shirvington. Over a month in 1999, as an 18-year-old, Scott ran 10.39w and 10.50 (-2.1m/s) and at 200m 21.38w/21.50. The next year he competed at the World Juniors. His career went on for over a decade, clocking 10.77 as recently as 2013 before retirement. But the challenge of the sport has brought him back, now aged 43. He anchored the IBS/South Coast’s men’s 200+ 4x100m relay team which included Colin Clarkson, Lauren Johnston and Tony Howlett, in a time of 51.55 seconds.

Scott explained his journey back to competition.

“I started training in 2022 and was feeling quite good but strained my groin doing block starts. So I focused on CrossFit and strength during the last year or so. However, I often included sprint work in my CrossFit training and still do a lot of plyometrics.”

But there was a hiccup in the relay on Saturday.

“I actually strained my calf on my second step in that relay which is why I was basically jogging the whole way. I’ll be back for more races just need to fix the calf.

“I have been back doing some track sessions properly now for a month. So maybe it was just a bit too much too soon.

“I’m actually a bit surprised my calf went. I have had no issues at all and absolutely smash the calf with plyo work with zero issues. I’m just happy and excited to finally have a chance to run again. I still feel like I can put down some decent times (for my age). It was great to see so many familiar faces at the track. I’ve missed the atmosphere and the people.”

Did you notice?

Some terrific club spirit from Olympians. Paris triple jump finalist Connor Murphy was competing in the discus for Trinity Grammar, while world championships medallists Mackenzie Little competing in the 4x1500m race walk for Sydney University. Tokyo Olympian for India, Sarthak Bhambri, anchored the UTS North men’s 4x400m team to victory.

Marnie Laurence brilliant with a 3-gold haul: GIRLS & MIXED U14

Four-time gold medallists at the recent NSW All Schools, Marnie Laurence, helped Eastern Suburbs LAs to three gold medals in the under-14 events. They won the girls 4x200m and mixed 4x100m and 4x400m relays. The girls win in the 4x200m (1:50.92) was by over two seconds, and the mixed 4x400m by five seconds. But the mixed 4x100m run was the highlight smashing the meet record. The team of Marnie Laurence, Kalani Russell, Lachlan Chappell and Albert Job, clocked 48.98 seconds. The previous Little Athletics record of 50.04 was set in 2000 by Northern Suburbs. The time was also under the Athletics NSW record of 50.66 set by Westfields.

Athletics Easts in master class: WOMEN 4x1500m 200+

The Athletics Easts team of Naomi Tancred, Rebecca Holmes, Cecilia Malmberg and Sally Hannah destroyed the women’s 200+ 4x1500m record taking a whopping 3 minutes 36 seconds off the old standard. That is nearly a minute each. Regulars at Athletics NSW summer and winter events, Naomi Tancred and Rebecca Holmes have been integral members of the Athletics Easts teams for decades under the coaching guidance of Iris and Peter Good.

Smart anchors the South Coast as they just miss the record: WOMEN 4x400m 160+

The team of Rebekah Power from Athletics Wollongong and the Nowra club trio of Samantha Keogh, Loretta Norris and Erin Smart just missed the 19-year-old meet record in the women’s 160+ masters 4x400m championship. They clocked 4:14.85 to just miss the record held by NSW Masters at 4:14.05. Erin was pleased with her anchor split time of 59 seconds. It capped an amazing year for the Nowra-based speech pathologist, who at the National Masters Championships last summer won the 60m, 100m, 200m and 400m – in the later event she defeated all Aussies by over four seconds.

IN BRIEF

·       The Athletics Wollongong team of Christine Shaw, Natalie Heywood, Rachel Shaw and Rebecca Kay, smashed the meet record in the women’s 160+ javelin. They accumulated a total of 101.73m to add 20 metres to the record of 80.73m set in 2021 by UTS Norths.

·       The championships kicked off on Friday night with a record in the open women’s 4x1500m walk by Mingara clocking 25:58.53, the team of Hannah Mison, Hannah Bolton, Sienna Pitcher and Bridget Bell, broke there own record of 26:33.14, set last year.

·       A Meriden school team running in the colours of Trinity Grammar School just missed the under-18 girls 4x100m record. The team of Emmanuella Omage, Bronte Locane, Rekha Levine and Olivia Achike clocked 47.81, just outside the best on record of 47.43.

·       Camden continued the domination of the open mixed 4x100m relay with a third consecutive win. In 2022 and 2023 they clocked the same time of 43.56 and in 2024 they were just outside that time with 43.66. The 2024 team was the same as the 2023 line-up of Sundance Fuller, Nathaniel Calvelo, Kaitlin Tattersal and Cody Hasler.

Other records set and team composition where known:

Mixed 4x100m 200+ Balmain 51.17 (Margaret Simpson-Lee, Steven Blacker, Helen Deas, John Reynaldo)

Mixed 4x100m U15 Manly 47.20 (James Atkins, Jake Wood, Louisa Mehta, Sarah Mehta)

Mixed 4x400m U16 Eastern Suburbs LAs 3:49.86 (Elizabeth Sommerville, Aria Jansen, Alex Bissell, Harry Keates)

Para 4x100m 61.53

Women 4x800m 240+ NSW Masters 13:29.85 (Caroline Yarnell, Robyn Basman, Margaret Kenny, Bev Durston)

Men 4xShot 160+ NSW Masters 45.87m (Timothy Huggins, Alex Savino, Jamie Muscat, Ben Towers)

Women 4x200m 240+ UTS Norths 2:31.53 (Antoinette Woodward, Sandy Hoy, Jenny Schell, Janet Naylon)

Women 4x100m 200+ UTS Norths 53.78 (Nicki Drinkwater, Jo Davis, Maryann Hearn, Christine de Vries)

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: UTS Norths 120 4x100m relay team - Liz Morison, Monique Perry, Rachael Jackson, Yael Reed (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)