Adelaide’s World U20 Athletic Championship stars to watch, including Aidan Murphy, Olivia Sandery
They are the South Australian youngsters set to represent Australia on the world stage in athletics. See the 18 to watch ahead of major championships.
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Four Adelaide athletes will represent Australia at the World U20 Athletic Championships in August.
Saints Athletics Club sprinter Aidan Murphy and thrower Darcy Miller, Pembroke Athletics Club race-walker Olivia Sandery, and Tea Tree Gully Athletics Centre thrower Marley Raikiwasa will compete in Colombia on August 1.
They each achieved at a high level in their discipline throughout the season and were selected based on their results.
Murphy recently broke a longstanding SA record in the 200-metre sprint and followed it up with a national championships gold medal in the same event.
Miller has continued to dominate in discus, winning his second straight national title this year, while fellow thrower Raikiwasa won gold in both U18 and U20 women’s discus.
Sandery has also been at the top of her game, recently winning silver at the World Race Walking Championships in Oman.
Miller couldn’t believe he made the national team after dedicating the last year to the eventual achievement.
“It’s an amazing feeling - I’ve been training and competing for eight years now and none of my achievements match this,” Miller said.
“It’s a great feeling for all of us.
“I’m now focused on achieving at the championships and hopefully making the final, which will be a hard task considering that at 18 I’ll be younger than most, but I think it’s achievable.”
The athletes have been preparing for the world champs in SA and interstate and will soon travel to Queensland for next week’s Oceania Athletics Championships.
Miller said he was looking forward to being a part of Team Australia.
“They’re all quality athletes so I feel more than honoured to be part of a tightly knit and awesome team,” he said.
“The (Oceania) championships will really be my first time competing in an international competition so it’s going to be great preparation for worlds.
“I’m hoping to have a strong series of technical throws that can put into effect the training I’ve done in the lead up.”
The Oceania Athletics Championships will begin next Tuesday and will serve as a solid precursor for the young stars participating in the world championships.
With a number of local stars ready to hit the track and field, we’ve listed the ones to watch ahead of both events.
MARIA RAIKIWASA (Tea Tree Gully Athletics Centre)
Raikiwasa’s list of achievements keeps growing by the day.
The 16 year old ranks no. 1 in Australia for U20 discus, U18 discus, U20 shot put and U18 shot put and has been as high as top three for open discus.
Coming off her recent national discus gold medals, Raikiwasa will compete in the women’s discus at the World U20 Athletic Championships.
AIDAN MURPHY (Saints Athletics Club)
Murphy’s selection in Australia’s world titles team comes as no surprise, with the 18 year old in the midst of one of the more dominant runs by an SA athlete in recent memory.
Not only did Murphy break a 41-year-old state 200-metre record this season, but he also ran a blistering 20.53 seconds to win gold in this year’s national championships.
Murphy is competing in the open men’s 200-metre sprint and the U20 4x100-metre relay at the Oceania championships and the world championships.
OLIVIA SANDERY (Pembroke Athletics Club)
Sandery, 19, qualified for the world race walking titles after her 2021 national track and field championships gold medal in 2021, ultimately winning silver, and continued her form to win a second straight gold medal at nationals this year.
She will compete in the U20 5000-metre and 10,000-metre race-walk events at the Oceania championships and the 10,000-metre race-walk at worlds.
DARCY MILLER
Fresh off another national discus title in the U20 field, Miller has his sights set on making the final of the world titles this year, after a strong Oceania campaign next week.
The state’s top ranked thrower in U20 discus and shot put events, Miller was hungry for more success.
“I want as much success as I can get and I’m also targeting the Australian U20 record held by Olympian Matt Denny in discus.”
Miller will throw in the open men’s and U20 discus events at the Oceania titles and the men’s discus at the world U20 championships.
JAMIE SCROOP (Western Athletics Club)
In March, Scroop competed in her first National Track and Field Championships for more than five years and took out silver.
The 34-year-old pole vaulter had previously spent time away from the sport recovering from shoulder surgery and returned to clear 4.20 metres in a stunning effort.
She will compete in the open women’s event in the Oceania titles and will be a strong chance to medal.
ANGUS HINCKSMAN T38 (Southern Athletics Club)
Para athlete Hincksman, 16, had a strong national championships in March, winning two medals in open events.
He took bronze in the open men’s 800-metre (ambulant), and won a stunning silver in the open men’s 1500-metre with a time of four minutes and 6.25 seconds.
His rise to the top looks inevitable and he will look to add to his impressive resume in the men’s para 400-metre and 1500-metre races at the Oceania Athletic Championships next week.
JESSICA MCMANUS (Port Adelaide Athletics Club)
McManus has had a strong year in 2022.
The 17-year-old distance runner turned in a starring display at nationals, winning two silver medals in the U18 800-metres and U18 1500-metres.
She will race in those same events during next week’s Oceania championships in Queensland.
Other SA athletes with a chance to medal next week:
- Caitlin Adams (open women’s 10,000-metres)
- Taylor Larsson (U18 shot put)
- Hugo Taheny T21 (men’s para discus and shot put)
- Nellie Langford (U18 5000-metre race-walk)
- Typhena Hewett (U18 high jump and pole vault)
- Courtney Smallacombe (open women’s pole vault)
- Dylan Stenson (open men’s 800-metres)
- Keira Post T37 (women’s para 100-metres and 200-metres)
- Lachlan Page (open men’s discus)
- Jack Netting T35 (men’s para 100-metres and 200-metres)
- Akeesha Snowden T37 (women’s para 100-metres and 200-metres)
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