Queensland School Sport track and field championships: How the QGSSSA girls went
A 12-year-old bolt from the blue from Somerville House shone brightly as QGSSSA athletes starred at the Queensland School Sport track and field championships.
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Unknown Emma Fryga proved a bolt from the blue as QGSSSA students shone brightly at the Queensland School Sport track and field championships over the weekend.
Fryga, a 13-year-old from Somerville House, won the 13 years 800m in
a tidy 2.14.21 seconds and backed it up with a brave silver medal effort against the national triathlon champion in the 1500m.
Fryga has been competing in Little Athletics since she was aged seven where she did a lot of shorter races until her coach, Brad Schofield, noted her natural ability for longer form events.
Coach Schofield has proved correct, and the hard work is paying off for Fryga who will also be one to watch in the future for QGSSSA cross country and track events.
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Zoe McElwaine of Brisbane Girls Grammar kicked off the proceedings with a scintillating 3km in the 14 years event where she bravely took off on her own and did a lot of the work solo.
McElwaine broke fellow QG compatriot Isabella Harte’s 2019 record to clock a new mark of 10.03.16 seconds.
QG podium appearances continued across the 3000m event with Gwen Watson (second) of Brisbane State High and Matilda Lee third) of St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School in the 15 years event.
The 16-year-old girls were extremely competitive in the middle distance ranks, with Gabrielle Schmidt (St Peters Lutheran College) continuing her exceptional form of late to take the win in 9.35.05, followed by Georgie Gilroy of Brisbane State High School.
Ella Rodwell from Somerville House took out the 17 years event, with Isabella Harte of St Margaret’s in second. They both booked their tickets to nationals in Adelaide in December.
Many of these ladies continued to shine in the 800m and 1500m events, with Kobi Walker of Moreton Bay College having a successful meet claiming bronze in the 1500m behind Gabrielle Schmidt (gold).
This was after Walker claimed an impressive fourth in the 16 years 3km.
Mattea Persall from Brisbane State High School also joined the podium for bronze in the 800m and 1500m in the 17 years age group.
In the steeple chase Matilda Lee of St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School and Zara Moore and Maeve McCowan from Brisbane State High performed exceptionally well.
Riley-Jay Henry-Purcell of Brisbane State High School won the 14 years shot put and discus events, sealing her name in the record books with her discus throw of 46.07m.
Also, in the field events, Charlize Goody of Ipswich Girls’ Grammar grabbed gold in the 16 years javelin, shot put and discus, plus a silver in the hammer.
Hayley Condon of St Peters Lutheran College picked up a gold in the 15 years hammer with a throw of 44.21m.
Brianna Leung, track & field captain at Somerville House, had an action-packed championships too, winning the 17 years long jump, high jump and a gold medal in the 4 x 100m relay for Met East.
The world junior championship rep Toby Stolberg of St Peters Lutheran College wowed the crowd in the 16 years high jump event, chalking up a new record with a jump of 1.79m.
Toby has had an incredible 2022, which included competing at World Junior Track & Field for Australia, and is destined for further great heights.
Charlize Goody, an all-rounder and budding heptathlete also medalled in the 16 years 100m hurdles with a bronze, behind Chiamaka Ekeocha of Brisbane Girls Grammar (Gold) in 14.53 seconds and Brogan Tomich of St Peters Lutheran College (silver) in 14.76 seconds.
Newcomer to St Peters Lutheran College, Zoe Chester, a Boarder from Townsville won the triple jump in 12.15m with Teresa Anthony of Moreton Bay College taking home the silver medal with a jump of 11.76m.
Leilani Hills of Brisbane State High School was weighed down by an incredible amount of gold at the end of a full schedule at the Championships, winning the 400m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 100m and 4 x 100m relay.
Of all the events, Leilani’s favourite event is the 100m hurdles
“Some people think I am crazy for wanting to run full tilt at stationary barriers, but I love the thrill,” she said.
The win in the hurdles was the most special for Leilani, as she attained a huge personal best in what was her final time at this event.
She is looking forward to representing Queensland at Nationals in December and is certainly an athlete to watch as she journeys past the school gates and into the open ranks later this year.
The 100m and 200m sprint finals always set the track alight and this meet was no exception. St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School sister acts of Aurelia and Amelie Boyd in the 13 years and Zara and Rhani Hagan (15 and 16 years) sparkled in the 100 and 200m sprints in their age groups.
Zara Hagan, a record breaker at last month QGSSSA track and field, was first in the 100m in a time of 11.90 seconds and first in the 200m with a time of 24.49 seconds.
Ebony Okonkwo of St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School picked up bronze behind Hagan in these two events.
In the 16 year old sprints Rhani Hagan won the 100m and Dior Scholz of St Hilda’s School came second, then in the 200m Scholz stormed in for the gold with Jazelle Carter of St Peters Lutheran College taking the bronze.
Jazelle Carter also had a cracking win in the 400m event.
Competitors who came first and second in their events were automatically selected as part of the Queensland team who will compete at National School Sport Championships in Adelaide, December 9-11.
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