Day 2: NSW Junior Championships

14 March 2026

Day 2: NSW Junior Championships

Gusty head winds met the athletes on day two of the NSW Junior Championships being held on the new Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre surface.

Locked in a four-way battle this summer for the two World U20 Championships team places in the men’s 110m hurdles, Ollie Facer (BAN) made a strong step forward yesterday, not only defeating a key rival, Victorian Hudson McKay, one of the others with a World U20 standard, but improving his PB running into a heading (-1.2m/s) with a time of 13.86. It was a performance of the highest standard; an indicates a very fast time is on the horizon. Hudson McKay was second with 13.96 and Bankstown’s Cameron Badger third with 14.34.

Kyah Ryals, from Manly Waringah Athletics, claimed the most decisive distance running win of the day, in the 14-years girls 3000m. From the gun, she ran away from the field, taking the title by 27 seconds in a brilliant time of 9:35.51. In the windy conditions, it didn’t seem ideal that she choose to run solo, rather than sit in a pack and run at a more comfortable pace. But Kyah was a standard above the field. After the first mile, she had already built up a 25 seconds lead.

Performance of the day was a 1.90m clearance in the U20 high jump from Izzy Louison-Roe. She compiled a clean sheet with clearances at 1.75m, 1.80m, 1.85m and 1.90m, ahead of three close misses at 1.94m.

Paralympian Telaya Blacksmith overcame the unfavourable windy conditions to clock a PB time of 58.76 seconds in the 400m.

The men’s U20 3000m was a classic tactical race in the conditions with the field splitting average lap times around 67 to 70 seconds. At the bell, 1.5 second separated the top-5, with Bankstown’s Kayden Elliott mustering a last lap split of 57.4 to clock 8:22.79 and hold off Gosford’s Harrison McClusky 8:23.01 (split 57.4) and Joel Harlor 8:23.39 (split 57.9).

Throughout the 17-years boys 3000m, nothing more than a few tenths of a second separated Gosford’s Max Bregozzo and Bankstown’s Keeden Harrison. At the bell, Keeden held the edge by 0.21 seconds, but at the finish line, they had to be separated by thousands of a second. They both clocked 8:44.35, with Max taking the title by five thousands of a second 8:44.341 to 8:44.346.

Easts Kiara Georgeopoulos overcame a strong field in the 15-years 90m hurdles to take the win in 13.02, ahead of Alexia Mathison (13.28) and Sienna Vassella (13.35).

Bathurst’s Savannah Auvaa made it two wins from two events, winning the 14-years shot out by a metre with a distance of 13.02m.

Marnie Laurence was in terrific form with two quality winning performances in the 14-years triple jump in a PB 11.77m and taking the 90m hurdles in a quick time of 13.05 into a strong headwind.

Easily the best women’s vault of the day was recorded by Csenge Zsuzsanna Zsombor in the 16-years with a 3.65m clearance.

For those who gathered in the grandstand near the jumping pits were treated to a thrilling 15-years by long jump competition.

Going into the competition Australian champion James Mikan was favourite. The first two rounds set the tone – with just 3cm separating the top-3. Conor Williams (UTN) led with 6.33m, from

James Mika (6.31m), Maximillian Lyle (6.30m) and Alexander Song (6.13m). This is how the next two rounds unfolded.

Round Three:

-Mikan 6.37m, from 2nd to 1st

-Alexander Song 6.41m, from 4th to 1st

Round four:

- Maximillian 6.55m, 4th to 1st

- Williams 6.52m, 4th to 2nd

-Mikan 6.72m, 4th to 1st

-Song 6.29m, remains in 4th

Final places were James Mikan 6.71m, Maximillian Lyle 6.55m, Conor Williams 6.52m and Alexander Song 6.41m.

Going into his last jump, Mikan, was in fourth place. Did the Ryan Dowlong/Ashley McMahon coached athlete feel under pressure? Not at all. With maturity, will beyond his 14-years, he was thinking technique.

“That final jump felt very good,” said Mikan. “I felt like the new track feels very bouncy and I was just making sure that I stay upright and tense my core before I jump and just really making sure I get high enough so I have time to extend.”

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image Ollie Facer (courtesy of David Tarbotton)