World junior championships, Oceania championships: 60 Qld athletes selected in national teams
Young talent time: 60 Qld athletes selected in national teams - including 15 rookies making the Australian team bound for the world junior championships. See who made it.
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Queensland is a mecca of young athlete talent, highlighted by the selection of 60 young gun rookies who will represent Australia from next month.
The Australian under 18 and under 20 teams bound for the Oceania championships in Mackay (June 7-11) is bristling with brilliant young talent.
The squads will include the 15 Queensland rookie who will represent Australia at the World Athletics Under 20 Championships, Cali, August 1-6.
Queensland’s world junior championship representatives
Torrie Lewis
The Gerrard Keating-coached year 12 student from St Peters Lutheran College is Queensland’s best 100m female sprint prospect since Sally Pearson and is running under 20 times not seen since the great Raylene Boyle in the 1970s and early 1980s. She runs the 100m in 11.33secs and will also run in the 200m and will be a medal contender at the world junior championships.
Caleb Law
The boy from Morayfield SHS possesses explosive power mid race the likes of which is rarely seen in a junior. Coached by Andrew Iselin from Mayne Harriers, the kid has a 100m PB of 10.36 in his kit bag following a scorching effort earlier this season. Two days later he ran a 200m PB of 20.63 seconds. He is one for your little black books.
Peyton Craig
From Brendan Mallyon’s stable of athletes at the Uni of Sunshine Coast Athletic Club, Craig is an absolute sensation who now runs sub four minutes in the 1500m for fun. His blistering 3:44.07 minutes in March set tongues wagging, and a few weeks later burst over the 3000m field in a PB time of 8:12.63 minutes.
Ellie Beer
The young veteran of Australia’s under 20 world championship team, the former Currumbin Beach nipper is now an Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games representative – all before the age of 19. She runs her pet 400m in 52.53.
Jai Gordon
The sprint sensation from (Jaqueline Gallagher’s Darling Downs Athletic Club was a member of Queensland’s crack 4x100m gold medal winning relay team at the nationals which comprised Gordon, world junior teammates Lachlan Kennedy, Caleb Law and Nudgee College’s Ashley Wong. Gordon hit the bullseye with a stunning 100m burst in 10.28 seconds during March and has a blazing 21.32 seconds under his belt for the 200m.
Emelia Surch
A brilliant all around athlete, Surch will enter the Oceania and world junior championships having ran a PB 14 seconds flat in the 100m at this year’s national. Coached by Olympic champion Glynis Nunn from Ignition Athletic Club, Surch also fired a warning shot to rivals with a 100m hurdles time of 13.71 (not legal) seconds a few days ago.
Kyle Bennett
Bennett is a beast of a middle distance athlete who has made the world juniors as a 400m hurdler. Coached by Sharon Dale from Thompson Estate Eastern Suburbs Athletic Club, the Churchie old boy is coming off PB form after almost esciplsing 53 seconds (53.07) earlier this year.
Flynn Pumpa
The Brisbane Boys College student produced a 3000m and 3000m steeplechase master class in March when he ran a 3000m PB 8:31.73 minutes, and then recorded a 3000m steeplechase time of 9:06.68 minutes. He is coached by Jayden Russ from Uni of Qld Athletics Club, and will be accompanied by Russ on the world championship tour after Russ was appointed Australian under 20 endurance coach in Columbia. Pumpa – and Russ – will have the joy of being accompanied by another of their squad members – Charlie Sprott (5000m). Sprott was a strong cross country runner but has gone up a gear since turning his attention to the track with a series.
Georgie Harris
The 17-year-old is quick – 11.65 seconds quick – in the 100m dash and is not too shabby over 200m either. Coached by (Paul Pearce, Sheldon Academy of Sport). Watch for her to run in the 4x100m relay squad as well which will be a medal chance.
Laura McKillop – and Hayley Reynolds
From Andrew Lulham’s Redlands Athletic Club, McKillop will maintain Queensland’s proud tradition of 3000m steeple athletes – following on from Gen LaCaze – when she represents Australia at the world juniors and Oceania championship. She hit the heights with a PB in March, striding over the gruelling distance in 10:18.64 minutes. A kid with a big heart, she will also run the 3000m. Lulham will have a second athlete at the world juniors, Hayley Reynolds (Lockyer District Athletic Club) who blazed to a PB 100m time of 11.58 seconds in March. Reynolds is in the 4x100m relay squad.
Toby Stolberg and Laylani Va’ai
Meet the dynamic duo from the Ipswich and Districts Athletic Club. Stolberg is a brilliant all-rounder who could play netball, basketball and sprint down the track like the wind. But Toby has settled on high jump and it is that discipline that has earned her selection in the world junior championship party – a huge achievement. Also from the Ipswich club is discus throw Laylani Va’ai, mentored by Michael Moore and who has been a regular in the gold, silver or bronze podiums most of her throwing career.
Liam Georgilopoulos
Gold Coast boy Liam is a former gymnastic who transferred to field athletics aged 12 years. Mentored by Howard Arbuthnot at the Gold Coast Victory, he has soars an impressive 5.05m in pole vault.
Lachlan Kennedy and Txai Anglin.
A Westside Christian College student, Anglin, coached by Russel Hansen at UQ Athletics Club, is a member of the 4x400m relay team while Kennedy is a member of the exciting 4x100m sprint team. Anglin is coached by Travis Venema out of the QUT Athletic Club.
The Oceania Championships to be staged in Mackay next month also features elite Queensland athletes in the under 18 and under 20 age groups.
It will feature Queensland world junior championships stars, plus another 45 young Queenslanders.
Among them is Lachlan Buckman, a Year 11 Ipswich Grammar School student aged 16 who is boarding at the college.
Originally from Ingham, Buckman is the reigning GPS track and field champion in the under 15 javelin and was crowned national champion under 17 javelin champion in April after throwing 66.17m.
Also in the field, watch for the hammer throwing Roberts twins, Lara and Ben.
Both coached by Brett Green at Ashmore, the pair will be joined in hammer by club mate Will Higgins.
Isabella Harte from St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School is among a batch of elite track athletes, with Harte a fantastic 3000m exponent – and also a pretty handy 1500m runner.
Ipswich ace Charlize Goody is in the under 18 squad, while St Aidan’s Anglican College student Angelina Tignani, who is never off the podium at state or nationals and often wins, is also in the 20s squad, among others.
OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Australian Team,
Queensland under 20 reps
Hayley Reynolds, Georgia Harris, Jai Gordon, Kalab Law, Georgia Harris, Olivia Matzer Q
Hayley Reynolds, Georgia Harris, Olivia Inkster, Torrie Lewis, Jai Gordon, Lachlan Kennedy, Txai Anglin, Sayla Donnelley, Isabella Harte, Ollie Boltz, Kyle Bennett, Flynn Pumpa, Harvey Cramb, Sophie Lillicrap, Toby Stolberg, Zane Paterson, Liam Georgilopoulos, Abbie French, Charlie Carroll, Laylani Va’ai, Kajsa Shield, Lara Roberts, Benjamin Roberts, Angelina Tignani, Phobe Marsh, Luke Stachowicz, Connor Duggan, Emelia Surch.
Australian team, under 18: Olivia Dodds, Toshi Butlin, Max Berry, Olivia Dodds, Talarah Henseleit, Jett Grundy, Emma Bible, Isabella Harte, Ella Rodwell, Joseph Saunders, Josh Shanahan, Leilani Hills, Nathan Taverner, Harriet Lloyd-Jones, Mitchell Rieck, Toby Stolberg,
Jordan Cox, Brianna Leung, Harrison Weil, Zoe Chester, Zoe Beith, Corey Tearle, Hannah Edwards, Charlize Goody, Jessica Rowe, Hannah Edwards, Natasha Lynch, Tiani Hogan, Chloe Kerswell, Lachlan Buckman, Kayla Newberry, Angus Clues, Valentino Bertucci, Jack Whiteside.
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