DAY ONE RECAP | 2022 AUS LITTLE ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Published Sat 23 Apr 2022
Day One of the Coles Australian Little Athletics Championships saw WA’s Javelin stars claim gold with Tristian Wilson and Zara O’Dea leading the charge for the state. While WA’s Under 15 multi-eventers collected high ranking results to set themselves up for potential glory on Day Two.
Following inaugural national titles at the recent Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney, Tristian Wilson (Belmont LAC) and Zara O’Dea (UWA LAC) replicated their success in Melbourne.
As the first throw event of the Championship, Wilson kick-started the states’ 2022 campaign with a win in the Under 13 Boy’s Javelin. Wilson’s win was never in doubt with his opening throw of 42.92m enough to have claimed the Little Athletics title. However leaving his best till last, the Belmont athlete was able to improve the distance with a best throw of 44.29m.
Zara O’Dea backed up WA’s golden standard in Javelin with a win in the Under 13 Girl’s Javelin. Replicating Wilson’s dominance, O’Dea secured the Coles Australian Little Athletics Championship title with her opening throw of 37.65m but improved with her third-round throw to win with 39.17m.
In the Heptathlon, Jaxon Stewart (Joondalup LAC) and Rhianna Di Giuseppe (Bunbury LAC) lead the way for Western Australia. The Under 15 athletes started their run of events with some solid results to open their campaigns. In the girl's competition, Di Giuseppe got things started with a sixth-place finish in the 90m Hurdles before Imogen Boss (Hamersley LAC) rounded out the day with a third place in the shot put. In the boy’s competition, Stewart claimed fourth in the Boy’s Discus round, while Thadeus Bowen (Kingsway LAC) clinched a top ten finish in the 100m. Stewart enters Day Two as WA’s highest-ranked male athlete with 2137 points in 5th and Di Giuseppe leads the girl's competition for WA with 1917 points in 8th.
Kate Philpott (Hamersley LAC) stormed through to the final of the 200m, crossing the line in 26.96 in the final to place fifth. Tayla Hadfield (Inglewood LAC) just missed a medal in the Long Jump with a leap of 4.76m securing fourth. While Paul Ehioghae (Southern Districts LAC) and Madeline Pitt (Kingsway) also placed fourth in the Boy’s Long Jump and Girl’s Shot Put competitions respectively.
Day One was closed out with the Under 13 4x100m Relays. While WA was unable to claim a medal, impressive baton passes saw the combination of Taya Leys (UWA LAC), Kate Philpott, Tolu Timeyin (Kingsway LAC) and Sophie Williams (Ridgewood LAC) finish fourth in 51.66. While the boy’s team of Callum Shaw (Belmont LAC), Paul Ehioghae, Oliver Clark (Hamersley LAC) and Axel Walsh (Inglewood LAC) crossed the line in 52.02 to place sixth.
The WA team returns to Lakeside Stadium tomorrow for the final day of the 2022 Coles Australian Little Athletics Championships.
To keep up with all of the action from the 2022 Coles Australian Little Athletics Championships, be sure to check Team WA’s progress on the Athletics West website, Facebook and Instagram pages.
For more information about the Championships head to Little Athletics Australia’s event page or check out the Championship’s LIVE RESULTS HERE.
By David Smith, Athletics West
Posted: 23/4/2022
