By MICHELLE MOORE
THE Noosa Gift is again proving to be one of the best local events for Queensland’s young track stars to showcase their talent.
This year’s carnival attracted over 200 junior and senior athletes competing in track and field events as well as professional sprint races at the Girraween Sports Complex in Sunshine Beach.
There to open the event were Tony Northey, president of Little Athletics Queensland, and Bruce Duncan, president of the Queensland Athletic League.
The total prize purse for the carnival this year was over $11,000 – a definite draw card for some of our best local talent.
Noosa athlete Callum Deering (105m) won the afternoon’s first event, the Stratogen Noosaville 900m-invitation race for boys in a time of 2 minutes 35 seconds holding off fellow Noosa athlete Buddy Wode (130m) and Glasshouse athlete Luca Ferroussat (scratch).
In the girls 900m final, Glasshouse athlete Chelsea Negus (60m) reclaimed her 2014 title holding off Arana athlete Tayden Tomich (50m) and Noosa’s Kaiya Hides (125m), in a time of 2m51s.
University athlete Joel Peters defended his 2014 under-12 boys Sportspower Noosaville 110m title in a time of 14.96 seconds ahead of fellow University athlete Thomas Hayman (15.33) and Noosa’s Jospeh Wikaira (15.55).
In the girls final, Arana’s Tayden Tomich claimed first place in a time of 16.04 seconds ahead of Deception Bay athlete Ella Booker (16.24) and Noosa’s Viktoria Fardon (16.92).
The Noosa Little Athletics under-17 70m sprint finals saw Noosa athlete Tom Siemon taking out the boys final in a time of 8.11 seconds, followed by Toby Horne (8.13) and Riley Radford (8.16) in second and third place respectively.
The girls 70m final was an all Noosa affair with Stephanie Welsh taking out first place in a time of 9.10 seconds followed by Courtney Steele (9.17) and Samantha Stanley (9.23) in second and third place respectively.
Noosa race-walker Clancy Smith (scratch) overtook younger sister Kiandra Smith (175m) and fellow Noosa athlete Genevieve Crow (155m) to claim first place in the Noosa Trophy Centre and Engraving Little A’s 1100m-invitation Race Walkers final in a time of 4m36s.
The Little A’s Murray Surveyors 300m Gallop, looking more like a stampede to the finish line, was also an all Noosa affair with Callum Deering (16.04) leading the pack in first place followed by Jahal Adamovskis (16.24) in second and Tom Siemon (16.92) in third.
This year’s bragging rights for first place in the R&W Noosa Gift Primary Schools Relay – One Mile Challenge Girls race went to Genesis Christian College (Brisbane), followed by teams from Good Shepherd Lutheran in second and third place.
Good Shepherd Lutheran then went on to claim first place in the boys’ race with Sunshine Beach State Primary School coming in second.
