Athletes up for challenge

Athletes up for challenge

With the Tokyo 2021 Olympics less than 100 days away, a lot of attention was on Sydney Olympic Park last weekend for the National Track and Field Championships and three Mount Gambier youngsters did their reputations no harm at all.

Hayden Crowe (pictured), Leila Croker and Emily Lynch all impressed on the big stage across a combined total of 10 events. Runner Crowe was particularly impressive collecting two bronze medals for his efforts after three days of running.

He competed in the 100m, 200m and 400m individual races and also represented the state in the 4x100m relay event. Crowe said he smashed his pre-campaign goals. “It was a massive weekend,” he said.

“My goal was to qualify for at least one final and qualified for two. “I felt I might have a shot at winning a medal, but did not want to think about it too much because obviously there were some really fast competitors and it was pretty interesting to run against them as a couple were looking for world qualifiers.”

Crowe’s first final was the Under 18 400m where he finished a solid sixth with a time of 50.25 seconds. But he found an extra gear to get on the podium in the 200m finale after a 22.10 second dash. “To place in the 200m individual event was very special,” Crowe said. “It was a very close race because I beat the bloke who came fourth by 0.03 of a second, so I had to push very hard.

“With 50 metres to go I could tell I was behind him, but in the last 20 metres the strength and will to keep pushing helped me get over the line.” Crowe also took home a bronze medal after recording a time of 43.56 in the relay alongside fellow SA runners Kyle Briggs, Michael Moschou and Ify Okiwelu.

He said it was a great team effort after they battled challenges in the build up. “I had my 4x100m relay about 20 minutes after the 200m race, so I felt pretty tired and flat even when I was running,” Crowe said. “Our team did not get much practice in before the event, so most of our preparation was during the warm up before the relay. “It is good because you have that team spirit and we were all excited for each other.”

Experiencing the national stage for the first time was Emily Lynch, who showed no signs of nerves to finish sixth in the Women’s 15’s 3000m walk.

Mount Gambier and District Little Athletics president and Emily’s father Adrian said the youngster was pleased with her debut. “She really enjoyed the experience,” he said. “She knew it would be hard to get on the podium, but she reached all three of her goals which were to get into the top eight, do a PB and have fun.

“It was a huge experience just being at that level and seeing what the top athletes were doing.”

Croker also represented SA with pride in the 90m and 200m hurdles, javelins and long jump events. She recorded a solid eighth place in the 200m hurdles and finished 11th in both of her field events.

Why wait? Get more stories like this delivered straight to your inbox
Join our digital edition mailing list and stay up to date on the latest news, events and special announcements from across the Limestone Coast.

Your local real estate guide - every Thursday

spot_img

You might also like