NSW 5000m Championships & Supporting Events - SOPAC Warm Up Track
The events were divided into multiple grades based on seed times, with Ethan McKenzie (20) producing the standout performance in the B Race, clocking an impressive 14:55.08 for 8th place. In the D Race, Alessio Parisi (20) finished in 15:49.86 for 10th position. The later races saw mixed results with veteran Matt Palmer (47) unfortunately not finishing the E Race, while newcomer Shane Decker (39) completed the G Race in 22:41.74.
The women's Championship A Race featured a strong performance from Georgia Winkcup (28), who secured third place with 16:19.24. Winks had won the NSW 3000m Championship (ES Marks) earlier this season in November with a 9:08.83 performance. Notably, 16-year-old Emily Rogers showed remarkable potential competing at this level, finishing 12th in 17:37.39. The C Race included Amy Thake (22) finishing in 19:33.01, while 15-year-old Imogen Robertson demonstrated commendable endurance to complete the distance in 23:11.34.
Particularly noteworthy was the range of ages across the competition, from teenagers to masters athletes, and the strong showing from youth athletes competing in open competition, especially Emily Rogers in the Championship race.
Lap Splits are available on the Live Results page for some technical analysis and race review.
Supporting Events Highlights - SOPAC Warm Up Track
The men's 400m showcased impressive depth across age groups. Sarthak Bhambri dominated with a strong 47.16, while 16-year-old Thomas Scodellaro is on a remarkable streak of sub-50 performances (49.86 PB) against open competition. Notable masters performances from David Neill (49, 59.45 PB) and Chris Mulcahy (55, 1:05.29 PB) rounded out a field that spanned nearly 40 years in age range.
In the women's 400m, Alice Dixon (56.37) and Isabel Nystrom (56.45) produced a tight battle in Heat 1, separated by just 0.08 seconds. Fifteen-year-old Erin Campbell showed promise competing against senior athletes as she unfortunately missed out on the Regional qualifying standards.
The women's 800m produced some of the day's most impressive performances. Zoe Brito set the pace for the first 500m and then Matilda Ryan's winning time of 2:05.35 was particularly noteworthy, with 18-year-old Fleur Cooper showing exceptional talent to take third in 2:05.77. The event demonstrated impressive age range, with strong performances from 16-year-old Margot Story through to 67-year-old Deborah Drennan.
In the men's event, Edward Purbrick led the local contingent with a solid 1:56.24, while 64-year-old Brad Sharpe demonstrated remarkable endurance maintaining competitive masters-level performance.
The men's 110m hurdles saw youth athlete Daniel Stewart (17) unfortunately record a DQ under TR22.6 in challenging wind conditions (-1.1m/s).
Field Events Highlights
Tim McGrath delivered an outstanding performance in the men's discus, winning with 41.25m at age 63 - a remarkable achievement in open competition. Newcomer William Lyne dominated the javelin with a winning throw of 56.05m.
The triple jump events showcased emerging talent. Indiana Murphy (19) reached 13.36m in perfect conditions, while Alexander Ayre (18) posted a solid 12.51m. In the women's events, Olivia Dimech won the open board competition with 12.10m and Gabriella Guerrera at 11.60m.
Region 5 Championships - SOPAC Competition Arena
The youth competition showcased several impressive performances across multiple events and age groups. James Mikan (14) emerged as one of the standout athletes of the meet, demonstrating exceptional versatility in his events. He began his campaign in the 100m where he qualified through the prelims with 12.33s and maintained this exact time in the final to secure 4th place. While he was unable to start in the 100m Hurdles, his field events proved to be his strongest showing. James claimed gold in the Triple Jump with an impressive 12.08m and backed this up with a silver medal in the Long Jump, reaching 6.02m.
Annalise Quintana (14) showed remarkable consistency across both sprints and hurdles. In the 100m, she qualified strongly with 13.25s and went on to claim bronze in the final with 13.29s. She replicated this success in the 90m Hurdles (76cm), qualifying with 15.39s and securing another bronze medal in the final with 15.40s, demonstrating impressive technical consistency between rounds.
In the older age groups, Alexander Fijan (16) competed in the sprints, placing 6th in the 100m with 12.34s but did not start in his scheduled 200m event. Charlie Watkins (15) made his mark in the 400m, claiming silver with a strong time of 54.10s. Catherine Mikan (17) was entered in multiple events including Javelin (500g), Long Jump, and Shot Put (3.0kg), but did not start in any of these events. The u17 division does not have a qualifying entry to NSW Junior Championships like the younger age groups do, they can enter directly to State. So be sure to bookmark your diaries for the entry close dates.
The overall medal tally for the group included one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. This is a great conversion rate with a relative low entry in the Club's inaugural appearance into this competition stream. Congratulations everyone!
