By MICHELLE MOORE
THREE Noosa athletes have been selected to represent Little Athletics Queensland at the Asics Australian Little Athletics Championships in Perth on 26 April.
The athletes are part of the 26-member under-13 and under-15 state team, comprised of 22 under-13 boys and girls, and four under-15 pentathletes (two boys and two girls).
Amy Brice, 13, has been selected to compete in the under-13 girls 200m, long jump, triple jump and discus events, along with Courtney Steel, also 13, who has been selected to compete in the under-13 girls 100m and 200m events as well as the 100m-relay event.
Amy is no stranger to national-level competition, having competed at the Australian Junior Championships this year, winning a silver medal as part of the under-14 girls 4 x 100m relay team, and also winning a gold medal in the under-15 girls heptathlon at the recent 93rd Australian Athletics Championships in Brisbane.
Earlier in March, Amy alsoclaimed gold medals in long jump, triple jump and discus and a silver medal in the 200m at the 2015 Little Athletics State Championships.
This will be the first time that Courtney Steel has represented Little Athletics Queensland at national athletics championships.
Courtney won a bronze medal in the 100m at the recent 2015 Little Athletics State Championships and has performed strongly all season achieving state and national qualifying times in the 100m and 200m.
“I am so excited to be going to Perth as part of the Queensland team,” Courtney said. “All of the effort that I have put in to training has all been worth it, and the fact that I’ll be travelling with and competing alongside my training partner Amy is a bonus.”
Meanwhile, Zane Branco, 15, has been selected to compete in the under-15 boys pentathlon.
This is the second time Zane has represented Queensland at the Australian Little Athletics Championships. In 2013, Zane was selected to be part of the under-13 state team alongside fellow Noosa Little Athletics member Summer Johnson, winning a bronze medal in the triple jump.
A gold-medal performance at the 2015 Little Athletics State Championships in the under-15 boys pentathlon as well as a gold-medal performance in the under-16 boys heptathlon at the 93rd Australian Athletics Championships has boosted Zane’s confidence in his abilities after having spent most of last season recovering from knee surgery.
“I’m really looking forward to competing at the national championships in Perth, after having spent most of last season not being able to compete at all,” Zane said. “I’ve really worked hard to get my fitness back this season and this is a great reward for all that effort.”
Noosa Little Athletics head coach Mick Hooper will also travel to Perth with the athletes, making it four years in a row that he has been selected to be part of the coaching personnel for the Queensland State team at the Australian Little Athletics Championships.
