Albie Thomas Mile: home victory for Jaylah Hancock-Cameron

21 December 2025

Albie Thomas Mile: home victory for Jaylah Hancock-Cameron

Last night’s 2025 Albie Thomas Mile, which doubles as the Australian championship, closed a highly successful year in NSW and Australian track and field. A bonus was a victory for the host club Bankstown, with Hancock-Cameron claiming the women’s mile.

WOMEN MILE

In the women’s mile the crowd were treated to a popular home club victory by Bankstown’s Jaylah Hancock-Cameron.

“Winning the title was a thrill,” Hancock-Cameron said. “I've spent a couple of years on the second and third step of these podiums, so definitely exciting to finally get a win at the Albie Thomas Mile.”

She had not had the most ideal leadup.

“I was kind of focusing on coming home strong tonight, after a bit of a disappointing 3000m last weekend (at Zatopek). So it was good to turn it around and show what I'm actually capable of.”

Hancock-Cameron was always in the lead couple, as the race started conservatively with a 73-seconds opening lap.

“I kind of took a more tactical approach, starting off a little bit more reserved than what I normally would, and then just wound it up through the race and got the afterburners going towards the end.”

After the initial 73 second lap, she hit 71, then 70 seconds, before a very quick 62 second closing lap. She hit the line in a time of 4:37.37.

The race also doubled as the National mile championship, and it was a first national title for Hancock-Cameron.

Second was ACT’s Zoe Melhuish (4:38.13) ahead of bronze medallist NSW’s Georgia Winkcup (4:39.65).

MEN 5000M

Billed as an Australian record attempt, Cam Myers who has during his illustrious junior career lowered so many national and world records, fell just short of another in the difficult warm and windy conditions. Myers was chasing the 26-year-old Australian U20 5000m record. He arrived with a PB of 13:49.66, and despite taking 17 seconds off his best with a final time of 13:32.12, he was not able to approach the mark of 13:25.66 set in 1999 by Mizan Mehari who would a year later make the Sydney Olympic 5000m final.

Last evening Myers enjoyed terrific pacing help from former training partner and teenage inspiration Tom Palfrey, who toed the field to halfway with 64/65 second laps. Myers passed halfway in 6:44, - equal to 13:28 pace - just a few seconds outside the record. After Palfrey retired from the race, Myers pushed on with 64/65 second laps, until the 4km mark when he slipped back to a couple of 67s, before closing in 62.

Myers became the second fastest in Australian junior history, moving pass Craig Mottram and Matt Ramsden.

Behind Myers’ 13:32, was former National champion Callum Davies (13:46.12) and Luke Hince (14:16.99).

Special mention to two NSW juniors heading to the World XC Championships next month in America - Newcastle’s Harry Boyn with 14:32.37 and Bankstown’s Kayden Elliott’s (14:34.71).

MEN MILE

Two of Australia’s form athletes this summer fought out the men’s mile race. 3:35 Queenslander, Alex Stitt, who won the Zatopek 3k last week, took the win in 4:02.59, from 17-year-old Victorian Lucas Chis, who in 2025 has won three Australian under-18 800/1500m titles. Chis ran 4:03.74 to just miss his PB. In third place was Mingara’s Matt Scarr with a time of 4:04.48.

Randwick-Botany 15-year-old Evan Rowbotham clocked a brilliant time of 4:05.19 in fifth place.

The winner, Alex Stitt, was pleased with the win.

“It was really good to get out there and have a good race in that competitive and tactical environment,” said Alex Stitt.

“I'm still in a bit of a base building phase, just been doing a lot of longer stuff and obviously just doing a few races through this latter end of the year to prepare to going into the domestic season and further on.”

Stitt, who graduated this year from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s degree in both Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, made three NCAA 1500m semi-finals in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

“This is the first couple of races I've been back in Australia for the last five years. So, it's been really fun to come out and get back into the Australian environment and pop up in a few more races. A lot of people probably don't know who I am right now, but it's really good to show my head and it's been really fun.”

Training out of Brisbane, Stitt has now joined the On (footwear) Oceania team and will be coached by Craig Mottram.

We also caught up with second place getter, Victorian teenage sensation, Lucas Chis.

“I haven't had the best preparation, had a bit of inflammation in my patella for the last four weeks, so to come here and run well, I'm very happy.

“I think Ben St. Lawrence, my coach, has done a great job in keeping my head steady, so I'm very pleased.”

Chis, who has signed a NIL contract (Name, Image, Likeness) with On Global, is coached out of Sydney by Lawrence.

He reflected on a terrific year and explained how his situation works.

“Firstly, it's thanks to God, without him, I wouldn't be here. But like I said, Ben has just kept me very level-headed, especially times where I thought that it wasn't going to go well. I was doubting a lot, but having such a strong team by my side, Dave McNeil as well, he's my strength coach. So all these little insights make such a big difference, and it's good to see that.

“Of course Ben lives in Sydney, so I train by myself. It's just me and my dad at the track, which sometimes is very hard. But I actually do enjoy it because it builds discipline. I feel like every long run, every session, is a step forward. I’ve just become more confident in pacing,” said the year 11 (in 2025) student.

Chis explained about his patella issue.

“The inflammation was actually because I crammed all my studying and I spent too much time sitting down. So it's good to know that now.”

Like many, he wants to become a profession athlete, but also has career goals away from the track.

“I love sports science - everything about that. I'm quite a nerdy person when it comes to science. I wouldn't mind studying running, studying vo2, so that's what I do see myself doing.”

Some other notable performances:

In the women’s 800m, Kiwi Boh Ritchie broke the New Zealand U20 and U19 records with her winning time of 2:03.14. 16-year-old Queenslander Emma Fryga, clipped her PB running a world junior qualifier of 2:03.32. Sutherland’s Ivy Boothroyd was fractionally outside her PB with a time of 2:03.76 – but over five seconds under the world junior standard. Dual Olympic 400m hurdler, Sarah Carli was just outside her PB running 2:08.76 and 13-year-old Ella Plummer was outside her best running 2:14.37.

In her last competition as a junior, National U20 javelin champion Tali Baltineshter raised her PB to 51.81m, moving from #22 to #18 in Australian junior history.

Making her 400m hurdles debut, with a solid time of 60.52, was 2:04 half-miler Matilda Ryan.

A terrific women’s 5000m was led home by World XC athlete Aynslee van Graan, who is returning to competition. Van Graan clocked 16:32.17 with three teenagers in the top-7; Olivia O’Kelly (17:03.83), Eliza Lawton (17:10.13) and Amelie Chudley (17:47.35).

The host, Bankstown Athletics club, did their usual great job of supporting the athletes, coaches and officials.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Jaylah Hancock-Cameron win the Australian mile title