Twenty-eight of Noosa’s best Little Athletics athletes competed at the McDonalds Little Athletics State Championships at the State Athletics Centre in Brisbane last month where athletes attending represented 80 different centre’s from across Queensland.
Noosa Head Coach Mick Hooper said he watched with encouragement and support as Noosa’s athletes threw, hurdled, jumped, race walked and sprinted, bringing home a commendable array of personal best performances and victories amongst the 2000 plus competitors.
In the realm of track events, athlete Clara Hermus won gold in the girls under 9’s 700m race walk, followed by under 14’s athlete Eli Melinz who competed in the 1500m race walk, winning the bronze medal with a time of 8:38.53. Then Ben Clayton jumped his way into third position in the under 11’s triple jump with a 9.36m achievement and a personal best jump.
Two more under 14 athletes, Taya Clayton and Marlon Andrews achieved some fantastic results on the track. Taya won gold in the 80m hurdles, silver in the 200m hurdles and another gold in the 100m sprint final with a winning time of 12.61. Marlon was rewarded with a gold, silver and bronze in the 400, 200 and 100m sprints. Whether it was the explosive starts by Taya out of the starting block, or the relentless drive towards the finish line for Marlon, each of their strides exemplified their pursuits for excellence on the track.
Victories also went to under 15’s athlete Luka Gerrard who jumped 5.87m in the long jump and 12.36m in the triple jump, winning gold in both events. He also ran in the 100m sprint final showing his talents both on the track and the field. Jasmine Finlay showed her strength and determination in the under 16 girls 100m and 400m finals, winning silver and bronze for her efforts.
Mick said the Championships also celebrated athletes between the ages of 13 to 15 who competed for selection to represent Queensland at the Australian Little Athletics Championships. Three Noosa athletes, Taya Clayton, Marlon Andrews and Luca Gerrard will be heading to the National Championships in Adelaide in late April to compete against the best in the country.
Overall, the State Championships were an enjoyable three days of competition showing off the depth of Noosa’s talent and the great spirit that defines the Noosa’s Little Athletics community. While many of our athletes stood on the podium, others achieved personal best performances and experienced an enjoyable few days of fun, family and fitness during the 50th year of Little Athletics in Queensland.
