Matraville bolter Taliah Lummow takes prize at Queanbeyan Gift

A MERE 0.9 of a second stands between Matraville runner Taliah Lummow and the qualifying time for next year’s Commonwealth Youth Games.

15 year old Matraville runner Taliah Lummow won the 2016 Under 18s Queyanbeyan Gift. Picture: supplied.

A MERE 0.9 of a second stands between Matraville runner Taliah Lummow and the qualifying time for next year’s Commonwealth Youth Games.

After winning the under 18s Queanbeyan Gift race on November 26, and running a season-best 56.13 at the Australian All Schools championship for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Randwick on the weekend, the 15-year-old is ready to make it happen.

“That moment when I won the Gift was just so good,” Taliah said.

“Everyone had said just give it a go and have fun, and they were so excited when I crossed the line first.”

15-year-old runner, Taliah Lummow hopes to follow in JSS winner Jessica Thornton's footsteps. Picture: Danny Aarons.

After starting out at Randwick Botany Little Athletics club when she was five, Taliah’s first taste of success came when she won the 400m event at the all-schools national titles, equalling the meet record.

“I joined Roger Fabri’s Speed Agility Academy when I was 12, and performance-wise it’s nothing like before ... we train a lot harder but we get results,” she said.

“My PB is 55.5 for the 400m and the qualifying time for the Games is 54.6 so, if I keep working hard, hopefully I can make that.”

Some of the talented stars of the Ramjet Athletics Club. Picture: Danny Aarons.

Fabri said Taliah had a very good chance of competing in the Bahamas.

“There’s no reason it can’t happen if she keeps improving at the rate she is,” he said.

Also in Fabri’s stable of track talent is NSW 400m champion Tiarna Mason, who ran third in the women’s Gift, Tyrell Rayven who made the final, Nabil Khan who won the innovation race, and Chloe Mason who the coach said was progressing quickly through the ranks.