ATHLETICS Bendigo Region was to the fore in the finale to Athletics Victoria state open and under-age track and field titles in Melbourne, held on Feb 25 – 26, 2022.
Medal haul for those with links to Bendigo Region after Friday night’s and Saturday’s action at Lakeside Stadium in South Melbourne’s Albert Park precinct was seven gold, three silver and seven bronze.
The Tickell family celebrated double gold.
In Friday night’s track action, Chelsea Tickell ran her 800m heat in 2:30.88 to be third and clocked 2:24.54 in the final to be the under-14 champion.
The next day and it Chelsea’s brother, Logan who outran rivals in the under-17 3000m.
The 15-year-old ran the 7 ½ laps in 8:57.42 to be crowned state champion.
Logan is the Victorian under-15 record-holder for 3000m.
Logan Tickell on track. Photo by Jazz Deol
Now competing with Keilor St Bernard’s, James Woods soared 4.80m to win the under-20 pole vault on Friday night.
Woods is still based in Bendigo and holds several Athletics Bendigo records in the high-flying event.
Another emerging star of pole vault, Rhys Hansen cleared 3.30m to win the under-15 final.
From Waaia, which is between Nathalia and Numurkah, Hansen is competing with South Bendigo AC.
A highlight of the meet was the under-18 3000m in which Harrison Boyd from Bendigo Harriers flew away in the last 100m to win in a time of 8:47.02.
Training partner, Jayden Padgham from Bendigo University was runner-up in 8:48.96.
South Bendigo’s Kai Norton completed the championships on two gold, one silver and a bronze.
Norton won the under-14 javelin on 31.41m.
Clubmate Jasper Seymour hurt his knee in the warm-up but did a standing-start throw which reached 23.90m.
Norton was third in the under-14 discus, 34.35m, but Seymour’s injury kept him on the sidelines.
Bendigo Harriers’ Jake Gavriliadis reached a mark of 48.83m to earn silver in the under-17 discus.
Xavier Pitt from Wangaratta regularly competef in Bendigo’s rounds of AVSL and shone at javelin.
A mark of 50.63m competing for Albury clinched gold in the under-17 showdown.
In the under-20 men’s events, Eaglehawk’s Angus McKindlay ran the 400m hurdles in 55.97 to claim bronze.
At javelin, Eaglehawk’s Dude Kelly hit a mark of 46.41m to claim silver in the under-18 final.
Kelly travelled from Culgoa to compete in Bendigo’s rounds of AVSL.
It was more bronze for Bendigo Harriers in the under-18 women’s division as Caitlin Evans ran the 400m hurdles in 67.12 seconds, and Jorja Hill reached a mark of 32.03m at javelin.
Reeve Evans ran the under-16 200m hurdles in 30.68 to claim bronze.
Merlin Tzaros from Bendigo Harriers ran a brilliant time of 9:37.39 in the under-15 3000m final to earn bronze.
Eaglehawk’s Kye Mason was fifth in the open 200m final in 22.38.
Hawks’ clubmate Cameron Smith ran his under-18 200m semi-final in 24.49 to be eighth.
A time of 28.05 earned Scarlett Southern seventh place in the under-16 200m final.
Albury’s Alex Pitt has competed at some of Bendigo’s rounds in this season’s AVSL and hit a mark of 42.97m to be third in the under-20 javelin.
