Successful return of the NSW Relay Championships

Published Mon 22 Nov 2021

22 Nov 2021

Successful return of the NSW Relay Championships

After being absent in 2020, the NSW Relay Championships were back on the weekend and produced their usual array of terrific clashes on the track and in the field.

There were three championship records, various new event bests and one national record but few who departed the meet will forget some of the thrilling clashes.

MEN Open 4x200m Relay

Sydney University, UTS Norths and Campbelltown have largely owned this event over the last decade, but in 2021, a training squad, from the country, including their coach, decided to enter, just for fun, and would take one of the weekends closest events, where less than half a second separated the medallists. The Newcastle Runners team of talented decathlete Samuel Taylor (100m PB 10.78), Teenager Dinush Wickremaratchy (100m PB 10.95), Jack Newman and coach/masters athlete Tim Eschebach would defy the odds to take the men’s open 4x200m title back to Newcastle in 1:27.23, ahead of Sydney University (1:27.52) and UTS Norths (1:27.68).

Feature image: nothing separates the three teams at the last change.

WOMEN U20 4x1500m Relay

On paper, the Bankstown team in the women’s under-20 4x1500m relay were favourites, but they didn’t just win, they broke the championship and national record by less than a second clocking 18:21.77. The four country athletes, all guided by master South Coast coach Andae Kalemusic, were set on their way by Youth Olympic Games medallist and Broulee resident Jaylah Hancock-Cameron with a super 4:17 split. Moruya’s Shayne Hargraves took the baton for the second leg clocking 4:44, followed by Ulladulla 16-year-old Lily Winward (see photo) with 4:38. The anchor was Wagga Wagga’s Leyla Liakatos who brought the team home under the national record with her 4:42 split.

WOMEN U18 4x100m Relay

Sutherland’s crack junior women sprinters sizzled in the under-18 women’s 4x200m, winning by nearly three seconds in a time of 1:39.84 – just outside the record of 1:39.42. But in the rain on Sunday their record-breaking form would not be denied when they smashed the equal oldest record at the championships books. They won the under-18 women’s 4x100m relay clocking 47.43, to win by a staggering 3.68 seconds, and break the previous record set by Ryde in 1980 – a team which included the great Sutherland Shire sprinter Diane Holden a 60m finalist at the World Indoor Championships. The Sutherland line up and new championship record holders were national U17 100/200m brionze medallist Emma Lee, national U18 100m medallist Jessica Wardrobe, Lucy Flanagan and Zara Lammers.

WOMEN U18 Shot Put

NSW has a quality group of under-18 girls in the shot out and discus. In the individual battle, it came down to the last attempt, for Newcastle’s Ashlyn Blackstock to claim the win over Bankstown’s Kaitlyn Coulter. Kaitlyn led Ashlyn after round one, by just 1cm 13.92m to 13.91m. In round two Ashlyn remained a threat with a putt of 13.86m. Then on her last attempt, Ashlyn passed Kaitlyn with her winning putt of 14.08m. Ashlyn also led her Hunter Region team to victory defeating Bankstown 50.75m to 48.35m. Hunter Regions winning team included Emma-Jean Edwards (13.43m), Emily Richardson (12.95m) and Yasmin Alexander (10.29m).

WOMEN U20 4x100m relay

One of the highest quality events on the program, pushed the winner to a championships record. Campbelltown claimed victory in the women’s under-20 4x100m relay with a time of 46.78 to smash the previous 27-year-old record of 47.31. They also recorded the fastest women’s 4x100m time at the meet. The Campbelltown line up of Gabrielle Bingham, Jessica Laurance, Paige Campbell and Hayley Wright defeated UTS Norths who were just outside the record with 47.59. In third were Macquarie Hunter (47.95), with Camden just off the podium clocking 48.70.

UTS Norths Club Dominate

With 66 teams entered, it was no surprise UTS Norths were everywhere. They claimed an extraordinary 44 podiums with 17 gold. A particularly strong masters club, they dominated those ages. They were particularly dominate in the Masters women’s 120+ winning four of the seven titles on offer. In the open men, they claimed the prestigious open 4x400m title led by rising 400m hurdles star Mark Fokas and Youth Olympic Games representative Keegan Bell.

St George Junior men dominate

A squad of five Ste George teenagers, Andrew Goschnik, Jay Louison-Roe, Luke McKay, Chris Yang and Iram Palma won the under-20 men’s sprint treble. They started their campaign with narrow wins in the 4x100m and 4x200m over Campbelltown. In the 4x100m they clocked a sensational 42.03 – just outside the championship record of 41.75. They took the 4x200m in 1:29.88. In their last event the 4x400m, they opened up, winning by six seconds over UTS Norths in 3:23.10.