2025 NSW Country Championships: Event Review

Published Mon 20 Jan 2025

19 January 2025

2025 NSW Country Championships: Event Review

The 2025 NSW Country Championships, conducted in challenging conditions, proved the resilience of the athletics community as the athletes, technical officials, coaches and families endured horrible weather conditions. High winds did now allow event management to leave marquees at event sites for protection from the rain. The athletes battled six metre head winds, a damp heavy track, landed in a pool of water on the horizontal jump bags, while the throwing circles were pools of water. Probably, except for the long jumpers who enjoyed strong tail winds; times, distances and heights were not relevant as it came down to championship racing across the events.

Shankelton squad hammer the record books as Ky Garratt remains undefeated
Ernie Shankelton’s quality country throwing squad have taken down three hammer throw records, as they all overcame the difficult wet circle. 

The rise of Cowra’s Ky Garratt shows no sign of wavering as he continued his undefeated record. In 2024 he won Australian and Oceania U18 titles, reaching a best of 69.60m with the 5kg implement. Now he has moved into the U20s and throwing a heavier 6kg hammer, nailed two 64m throws, with his best of 64.57m adding six metres to his training partner, Damian Wells’, championship record.
 
However later in the day Garratt did see his own U17 hammer throw record broken by training partner Cooper Dabin (Temora club) from Burrangong. Dabin surpassed the old mark on all three of his valid throws, reaching a best of 61.48m on his second attempt. Dabin last month won the National All Schools title with a distance of 65.27m (4kg implement), but already he is well over 60 metres this year with the new 5kg hammer.

In the open event, Temora club’s Damian Wells threw 58.53m, not far short of the 62m meet record.

In the women’s open hammer throw Molly Goetz won with a throw of 51.98m, just breaking the 21-year-old record of 51.23m set by Springwood’s Erin Petrovic.

Emily Whelan back on track as she smashes long standing high jump record
After placing second in the open high jump at the 2023 Nationals and clearing a season best of 1.87m, Emily Whelan was well on her way to major success under coach Matt Horsnell. But a challenging 2024 campaign saw he jump rarely and only clear a best of 1.75m. But ahead of the Country Championships this week, coach Horsnell predicted she was back on track in 2025 and would concentrate on athletics fulltime. In her opening competition, the evidence was there with a PB clearance of 1.90m as she moved from number 24 to 15 Australian all-time. She also broke the long-standing NSW Country meet record of 1.85m, held jointly by high jump official and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Katrina Morrow and Athens Olympian Petrina Price.
 
Mingara are the point score winners and country club of the year
Mingara club have claimed the club point score, the prestigious Gibb/Loomes Shield and the honour as the NSW Country Club of the year. 
In a close battle with defending champions, Athletics Wollongong, Mingara were second after day one, 
195 to 162.5; but with the 100m and 400m sprint on day two, Mingara seemed to get a lift, leading the points score 439 to 393.5 points. Mingara extended their lead on day three to take the title with 654 points from Athletics Wollongong 590.5 points.
The battle for third was even closer. After day one, the positions were 3rd Wallsend, 4th NSW Masters, 5th Macquarie Hunter, after day two: 3rd Maitland, 4th Macquarie Hunter, 5th Eastlakes, but at the end of the championships the places were 3rd Macquarie Hunter 376.5 pts, 4th Maitland 366.5 pts and 5th NSW Masters 335 pts.

Club point score in recent years
After seven consecutive wins in the late 2010s by Mingara, Athletics Wollongong had won the last three titles, but in 2025 Mingara have re-claimed the title. 

After three consecutive fifth places, then tenth last year, Macquarie Hunter move into third place.

Maitland have proved the value of hosting and now their own facility. They were 29th in 2021, then up to 16th in 2022 when they hosted the championships. The double boost kicked in with 10th place in 2023 (in Dubbo). After 16th last year in Wollongong, they jump to a brilliant fourth in 2025.

One of the major success stories of the 2025 country championships are Eastlakes Athletics centre. For nine years from 2015 to 2023, they placed between 16th and 29th, then last year in Wollongong they rocked to 9th place, now in 2025 they finished in a terrific sixth place.

Sprint trebles
There were some great all-round sprinting, with the events largely held on just Saturday and Sunday. Raymond Terrace athlete Zane Edwards competed eight times over the three days winning four events, the U17 100m, 200m, 400m and 110m hurdles. He was also second in the 400m hurdles. The national finalist and relay medallists is coached by London Olympic 400m hurdles semi-finalist Brendon ‘BJ’ Cole by correspondence from Melbourne.

Tamworth’s Zac Bailey was most impressive in the U15 100m, 200m and 400m. But in the conditions, he found the going tough in his pet event the 400m. “Coming home it was hurting running into the wind, the lactic acid was building up,” said Bailey. He is enjoying his athletics which is now his focus. “I previously played footy, but not any more as I’m focusing on athletics.” Why is he enjoying his athletics and experiencing success? “A good coach (Jay Stone) and training squad.”

Australian U15 400m champion in 2024, Ashton Foley claimed the long sprint double in the U16s in Maitland.

The Vanessa Price-coached squad left their mark across the sprints, but particularly the 400m. From 4.00pm on Saturday, they won three races with wins from Mackenzie Preston-Poole, Shari Hurdman and Keira Carlson

For Keira Carlson, who would claim a sprint treble in Maitland, it was a breakout year in 2024 after transferring to the 400m a couple of years ago. “Vanessa made me into a 400m runner,” said Carlson. “2024 was my best season yet considering I won four national medals, a couple of state titles and ran lots of PBs. This weekend has mainly been about getting back into the track season for me.”

 

U17 boys 1500m and 3000m battles
Three quality distance runners battled out the boys under-17 3000m in wet and windy conditions.
Race favourite Port Macquarie’s Trent Alley appeared to be egging on the field early to push the pace. Bathurst’s Ethan Donges and Blue Mountains athlete Alton Freeman took up the challenge sharing the lead duties. The three broke away from the field and it would be Alley (9:18.08) who sailed home for the win ahead of Donges (9:19.90) and Freeman (9:20.62).
“I decided I was going to sit and kick, because I've got the 1500 tomorrow,” said Alley.
“I'm sort of focusing a bit more on triathlon this season, so today was good for a change.”

Second placed getter, Ethan Donges comes from a long line of distance runners. His uncle Michael Donges was a talented track runner who now competes in marathons and Ultras, while his great uncle Geoff Donges placed 11th in the City to Surf in 1989 and still holds the NSW County championships U14 800m record at 2:02.1, set in 1975 – 50-years ago.

Third placegetter, Alton Freeman, who has only been involved with focused training for two years, spoke about how, despite the weather conditions, there were some positives for his career development.
“I ran a good race tactically. But in the very windy it was not the quickest time. It was one of the first proper tactical races I’ve been in, so it was great to get that experience.”

24 hours later Alley and Freeman would again be in action in the metric mile. Considering Alley’s new triathlon focus, it was ironic they were chasing the meet record of 4:08.80 held by talented triathlete Lorcan Redmond. Again, in windy weather, Alley would take the win in 4:11.92 from Freeman with 4:13.75.

Inverell setting the pace in the throws
How do two of the best athletes in Australia in the same event emerge from the same country town? It is extraordinary, but that is the situation in the under-16 boys shot put when last month in Brisbane, at the Australian All Schools, two Inverell athletes placed first and third in the under-15 shot put. It would be no surprise in Maitland this weekend they would go 1-2 in the U16 shot put. The winner in Brisbane, Jack Partridge, again took the title with a put of 15.62m, down on his 16.37m in Brisbane. He defeated his local Inverell mate Conna Bownds who put 14.60m. His Brisbane distance of 15.64m, would have defeated Partridge in Maitland.

Partridge was pleased with his shot put performance.
“With these conditions being wet, cold and windy in the circle it was an alright throw.”

Can he explain why two good athletes have emerged from the same town?
“I think it was the drive, because we also went the same primary school, so we would always see each other at the same competitions, so definitely the drive.” They also see each other at the same training track.

Later on Saturday, Jack Partridge won the discus throw with his last attempt – nailing a distance of 46.74m, well below his 58.53m winning distance in Brisbane last month.


In brief
One of the best performances of the three days was Jemma Pollard’s win in the open 400m. The World U20 Championships medallist clocked a terrific 53.79. “Honestly I’m happy with that,” said Pollard. “When I woke up this morning it was pouring down rain and windy and I though oh no, but it has turned out to be not too bad, but still a bit windy.”
What was very noticeable was how strong she was over the last 100m – we can look forward to big things from her this summer.

A family connection has linked Orange athlete Jocelyn Blair to one of the best sprint groups in Sydney. The U-18 sprinter/hurdler, who won the hurdles in Maitland, is now coached at Pymble Ladies College under coaches Katie Edwards and Olympian Mel Gainsford-Taylor. Now a boarder at the school, Blair’s connection came via her aunty Fiona Blair, the 1993 Australian junior 100m champion who went to two World Junior Championships. Fiona was on National teams with Gainsford-Taylor. The fit with Gainsford-Taylor is perfect as she emerged from the country town of Narromine. After just missing the National final in April 2024, Jocelyn will be looking to go one step further in 2025.

Winning the girls U16 long jump by nearly a metre was Wallsend’s Ella Morrison with her opening leap of 5.56 metres. The year 9 student, who receives coaching help from her parents, plays wing in soccer. Despite her recent athletics success, which included a second place at CHS this season, she wants to take her athletes “one step at a time”. 

We trust there will be no dramas for Sienna Pitcher when she arrives home from the championships after breaking her older sister, Allanah, U20 3000m walk meet record with a time of 14:10.47.

Watch out for a masters article later in the week.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Jack Partridge – Australian champion takes the NSW Country U16 shot put title 
Images: courtesy David Tarbotton


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