Ballarat athlete shines at home as others produce fantastic results
A Ballarat youngster has taken centre stage at the Victoria Country Championships, breaking multiple records as others also shined at the carnival. Check out what has happened and photos from the event.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Ballarat’s Cooper Sherman has proved he’s one of the states best talents, breaking a 28-year-record at the Victoria Country Athletics Championships in Ballarat.
Despite the weather conditions not being ideal during periods of the event for good times, Sherman was able to overcome it to set some blistering times.
Sherman broke the 200m and 100 yard record along the way to winning four events at the championships.
He also won the 100m and 400m during the three-day event.
In the 200m, his time of 20.91 seconds broke the Victoria Country open record, beating the previous record of 21 seconds set by Yallourn-Newborough’s Mark Ladbrook in 1996.
The time was also good enough to beat Sherman’s 2022 under-20 record, which was 21.11 seconds.
The Ballarat Harrier also added the Victoria under-20 record in the 100m yards with a time of 9.70 seconds.
Sherman revealed earlier in the meet the conditions weren’t ideal for fast times.
He did set the record times on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon after the opening day and a half of the competition.
The 19-year-old won the 100m on Friday with a time of 10.63 seconds before beating his rivals by more than two seconds in the 400m on Saturday.
“The conditions have been pretty unpredictable and against us,” he explained.
“It’s very swirly, it’s throwing off everyone.
“So it’s been tough for everyone but in terms of times I’m pretty happy.”
Sherman said the 400m race was good for him, especially in the first 200m.
“The first 100 is to set the pace for the race, and the second 100 is to maintain (it),” he said.
“The goal for the first 200m is 22.5, which I did, so aim (in last 200m) is to do 24 seconds to get 46.5.”
“But the headwind, I got there in time, but I had ran out of energy.
“It could have been a fast time but I ran out of energy.”
He wasn’t the only athlete to break records during the meet.
Albury’s Xylavene Beale broke the female Victoria under-20 record in shot put with a distance of 15.07m with one of her attempts while Lachlan Burns, from Bellarine, broke the Victoria Open Country record in pole vault with a height of 5.05m.
Meanwhile one of the other best performers of the championships has been South Coast Athletics Club athlete Laura Tomic.
Tomic, competing in the over 40 women’s category, won all four events she raced in.
This included wins in the 800m, 400m, 1500m and the 2000m Steeplechase.
It’s an incredible performance considering the South Coast Athletics Club member only returned to the sport recently.
“I just love running, absolutely love it,” she said.
“But I just got back into it because of my daughter, she’s joined South Coast and I got talked into it.
“This is my first season competing again.”
Tomic said she loved competing with her children at the club and while the gold medals were fantastic at the championships, she was even happier to be on the improve.
“I’ve got three season PB’s (here),” she said.
“I just want to keep improving on my times.”
Her goal for the meet was to crack five minutes in the 1500m, her last event of the program.
But she fell short by seven seconds.
She was one of a few athletes to win two or more events at the championships.
The rest are listed below.
Blake Morgan – 800m and 1500m in under-16 male
Xylavene Beale – Discus and javelin in under-20 female and discus in open
Megan Szirom – 100m, 200m and long jump in the over-40 female
Declan O’Sullivan – 110m hurdles and 100m in under-18 male
Chloe Mutton – 110m hurdles and high jump in under-20
Jacinta Burns – 100m, 200m and pole vault in over-50 female
Avery McDermid – 800m and 1500m in under-18 male
Mike Bieleny – 1500m and 3000m in over-60 male
Eric Baker – 400m, 800m and 2000m Steeplechase in over-60 male
Julie Pendred – 300m hurdles and triple jump in over-50 female
Cooper Sherman – 100m, 100 yards, 200m and 400m in open male
Kirstie Newcombe – 400m, 800m and 1500m in female AMB class
James Pendred – 400m, 800m and long jump in male AMB class
Tanamai Szirom – 100m and 200m in under-14 female
Michelle Furze – Discus and hammer throw in over-50 female
Xavier Pitt – Javelin in open and under-20 male
Eliesha Byrt – 200m, javelin and shot put in female AMB class
Donna L Braden, Georgina Mervin, Cathryn Hoare and Jacinta Burns – 4x100 and 4x400 relay in over 40 female
David Zanelli – Long jump and triple jump in over-40 male
Armani Anderson – 100m and 100 yard in open female
Grace Crowe – 100m and 200m in under-18 female
Claire Johnson – 5000m and 10000m in over-40 female
Kim Gleeson – Hammer, shot put and javelin in over-40 female
Karla Boras – Long jump and triple in under-18 female
Phoebe Polizzi -80m hurdles and 200m hurdles in under-14 female
Sharon Pedersen – 400m and 2000m steeplechase in over-50 female
Karen Kirby – Shot put and hammer throw in over-60 female
Seth McCleish – Long jump and triple jump in under-20 male
Caitlyn Sharp – 100m and long jump in female AMB class
Ella Rayson – 400m and 800m in open female
Darcy Giddings – discus in open and under-20 male and hammer throw in under-20 male
Asher Mitchell – Long jump and shot put in under-18 male
Xander Mitchell – Discus, javelin and shot put in under-14 male
Peter Wrzuszczak – Discus and hammer throw in under-14 male
Andrew Close – Discus, javelin and shot put in male AMB class
Catherine Monahan – 100m, 200m and 400m in the over-60 female class
Nate Ralton – 100m, long jump and 90m hurdles in under-14 male
Hugh Richard – 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m in over-40 male class
Dave Chisholm – 200m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles and 400m in over-50 male class
Gordon Muir – 800m and 1500m in over-50 male class
Timothy Sullivan – 100m and 200m in the male AMB class
Oliver Ryan – 3000m and high jump in under-14 male
Jemima Hood – 100m, 200m, 90m hurdles and 200m hurdles in under-16 female
Summer Marange – Shot put and hammer throw in under-16 female
Samantha Miles – Discus, hammer throw, javelin and shot put in under-14 female
Angelina Kulic – High jump and Triple Jump in under-14 female
Massimo Pantano – 100m, 200m and 110m hurdles in under-20 male
Max Franklin – 400m and 400m hurdles in under-20 male
Johnny McKeague – High jump and triple jump in under-18 male
Jamison Cox – 100m and 200m in under-16 male
Evan Bainbridge – 100m hurdles and 200m hurdles in under-16 male
Mark Hambling – Discus and shot put in over-40 male
David Fossey – High jump and shot put in over-60 male
Simon Van Baalen – Discus and hammer throw in over-50 male
Chelsea Tickell – 800m and 1500m in under-16 female
Jayne Norton – Discus and triple jump in over-40 female
Trudy Haines – 80m hurdles, high jump, javelin and long jump in over-50 female
Carol Coad – Discus, javelin, long jump and triple jump in over-60 female
Kai Norton – High jump and javelin in under-16 male
Gregory Hilson – 10000m, high jump, pole vault and triple jump in over-50 male
Laura Tomic – 400m, 800m, 1500m and 2000m steeplechase in over-40 female
Oscar Woodhouse – 400m and 800m in over-14 male
Bridie Shanahan – Javelin and triple jump in under-20 female
Angela Williams – 1500m, 3000m and 10,000m in over-50 female
Joshua Hawkes – 1500m and 5000m in open male
Hudson Downes – 200m and 400m in under-18 male
Jace Murray – Discus and javelin in under-18 male
Chris Lang – 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles and long jump in over-60 male
Event Preview
Regional Victoria’s athletics stars are ready to take centre stage.
Athletes from Olympic stars to local heroes are set to descend on Ballarat this weekend for the Victorian Country Athletics Championships.
The event has been the breeding ground for some of the country’s greatest ever.
Here’s a look a the top athletes to keep an eye on this weekend.
Jack Abbruzzese, Shepparton
Making a return to the Country Champs after a mountain biking accident prevented him from competing at the end of last season. A quiet achiever who is a solid all rounder who should factor in the medals in most of his events. He has represented Victoria in the triple jump, high jump and hurdles where he made the national final back in 2022. Short hurdles is his preferred event taking bronze at the SSV State Championships in the under-15 boys.
Angus Alberts, Chilwell
Will compete in the open shot put. Holds the best throw of the Victorian season to date in both under-20, where he regularly competes, and open competition. A hot favourite for gold.
Armani Anderson
One of the best sprinters on show this weekend. Won gold at the National All Schools in a time of 11.84s. Expect her to be a contender in the under-18 200m as well.
Xylavene Beale
An under-20 athlete from Albury who will look to take home her own age group and open women titles in the discus and shot put. Coming off a gold at the Australian Schools titles and has also represented her country.
Alyssa Benbow, Eureka
The current under-18 Victorian shot put champion will be right in medal contention.
Emma Berg, South Bendigo
A three-time national shot put open champion who has had previous success here. Also spends time guiding her club’s younger members.
Karla Boras, Chilwell
The 15-year-old horizontal jumps sensation is the younger sister of Tiana Boras, who claimed bronze in triple jump at the 2022 World Juniors. Karla is now looking to blaze her own trail, having won gold in triple jump at the Australian All-School Championships in Perth, and being just 15cm shy of the qualifying mark for the 2024 World Juniors. In career-best form, she’s a hot favourite for gold in Ballarat and will be looking to post a world junior qualifier. Her current 12.75m PB is the third-best jump in any age group in Australia this season.
Amali Butcher, Chilwell
The defending under-18 100m hurdles champion in this event, and also the top-ranked athlete this season. A seasoned sprint hurdler over 100m and 400m with big chances for selection in the Australian team for the World Junior Championships in August in Lima, Peru.
Mackayla Culvenor
Stepping up to the open women in the long jump and triple jump after winning gold and a silver at the National All Schools last year.
Zaria Dalton, Gippsland
Dalton won the bronze medal in the under-14 women’s 100m final at the Victorian All Schools and then went to Perth and qualified through a heat to run in the final at Australian All Schools Championships. She was also a part of the inaugural Little Athletics Victoria New Zealand development tour where she was a part of the gold medal winning under-14 girls 4x100m relay team.
Katherine Dowie, Eureka
Having recently returned from West Virginia University, Dowie will look to take the open women’s 5000m by storm.
Rhys Hansen, South Bendigo
Hansen travels from Waaia twice a week for training and in December won the silver medal at the Australian All Schools. Will compete in the under-18s and open categories with a personal best over four metres.
Greg Hilson, South Bendigo
Competing in his 39th consecutive Country Championships after first being involved in 1986 first focusing on track events. He now puts more emphasis on the pole vault and high jump. Expect him to be right in medal contention.
Jemima Hood, Geelong Guild
The current under-14 women 200m hurdles record holder will make the step up to the under-16s.
Kazadi Kadima, Shepparton
Set to compete in the under-16 3000m. He won the Victorian All School title event for the under-15s last year and is also the current 800m and 1500m School Sport Victoria champion.
Ida Laherty, Geelong Guild
Will compete in the under-20 women 400m as she aims to better her 55.3s PB.
Jordyn Lewis, South Bendigo
Set to compete at her first Country Champs, Lewis will compete in the under-14 pole vault and 200m hurdles. She medalled at the Victorian All Schools in December.
Seth McCleish, Chilwell
The long-legged sprinter and jumper is having a breakout season in the under-18 AVSL competition. Stepping up to the U20 age group for these championships brings new competition which he will relish, already having the best wind-legal under-18 jumps in both events in Victoria this season. Took silver in the long jump at the Australian All-Schools. Will compete in the triple and long jumps.
Avery McDermid, Bendigo University
A promising 15-year-old talent who is in the top-five athletes in the country for his age group in the 800m and 1500m events.
Kathryn Mitchell, Eureka
The current Australian record holder in the open women’s javelin. She is also a four-time Olympian.
Ben Mornane, Eureka
Set to compete in the under-20 3000m, Mornane is among the leading runners in the state.
Harvey Murrant, Geelong Guild
A 400m open runner who will look to break the 47s mark.
Kai Norton, South Bendigo
Has recently moved into combined events where he won a silver medal at a Little Athletics Victoria competition last weekend. Also medalled at the Athletics Victoria under-16 heptathlon.
Emma Orme, South Bendigo
Won the gold medal in Under 16 Australian All Schools Pole Vault with a PB vault of 3.20m which was 40cm above her previous best.
Phoebe Polizzi, Chilwell
Finished third at the Country Champs last year in her first year of senior athletics competition. After a phenomenal year of improvement, she will push to upgrade that result this weekend. Was sixth in the under-14 80m hurdles at the recent Australian All-Schools.
Matilda Read, Wellington
Read is from Boolarra and trains with Craig Huffer in Warragul and Fran Attard in Knox. She has had a fantastic start to the season winning the SSV 1500m walk and Victorian All Schools U16 3km walk. Read has recently recorded a national qualifier and will compete in the under-16 3000m walk.
Evander Scott, Chilwell
Will compete in the under-20 800m and 1500m and has been sharpening his racing skills in the premier A Races at Milers Club events this season and is a realistic chance for a golden double in both the middle distance events at Ballarat.
Cooper Sherman, Ballarat Harriers
Enters the weekend in red hot form after running a personal best 10.45s in the 100m earlier this month. It is the fastest time by an Aussie this year. At 19, he also ran 46.8s in the 400m. You can read more about him here.
Charlie Trezise, Chilwell
Set to compete in the under-20 100m and 200m events. A relative newcomer to athletics from a football background, Trezise is getting better with each race in his first season with the club. Could surprise a few more seasoned competitors in the trophy sprint events.
Simon Van Baalen, Gippsland
Has a long and successful career at these events winning 22 medals throughout the years. Will compete in his first 50+ events.
Guy Williams, Chilwell
A multiple-time state champion who will compete in the under-18 long jump making a comeback from a long-term injury lay-off. Yet to compete this season but could be looking to launch his season in Ballarat and begin a late charge for the state finals.
Connor “CJ” Wilson, South Bendigo
Has been a big improver throughout this season and has consistently broken the Bendigo under-15 shot put record with throws over 17m.
Oscar Woodhouse, Wellington
Wellington is originally from Sale and recently moved to Melbourne, where he trains regularly with Craig Huffer. In the last 12 months he has qualified for four national championships and placed as high as 5th in the 800m. His goal for this season is a sub 2:10 in the 800m.
Whittlesea United caps historic season with championship
Whittlesea United is heading to the VPL for the first time in club history with a pair of trophies in its cabinet, adding the State League championship to a premiership season.
Abdullah, Markovski dominate Gold Medal awards
At a gala Gold Medal awards night, Aamir Abdullah claimed three honours, while Maja Markovski and Rebecca Saber shared the women’s top gong.