Day 3: NSW Junior Championships

15 March 2026

Day 3: NSW Junior Championships

The speedsters in the 100m hit the track on day three of the NSW Junior Championships being held on the new Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre surface.

Nepean’s Epeosi Ugbomhe won the 17s 100m in 10.83, ahead of Bathurst’s rising star Dylan Ruming (10.99). With already a 100m heat and final in his legs, late in the day Ruming would line up in the 400m and cause a major surprise clocking the fastest time of the day – a brilliant 47.54 seconds, defeating Australian All Schools silver medallists Kai Cullens who himself was making progress with a PB time of 47.86. Ruming has taken well over two seconds from his PB already this summer.

The women’s U20 1500m was one of the best in the history of the championships with 11 athletes going under 4:40. A number of younger athletes moved up to be a part of this event. Nothing separated the big five, lapping early at 71s. At the bell, Manly’s Eliza Lawton (15y), led from Trinity’s Claudia Meaker, Bankstown’s Pippa Schwarz (16y), Newcastle’s Annabelle Miller and UTN’s Ava Garnys. Lawton held on for the win in 4:25.98, while Schwarz continued to surprise with the quickest last lap (56.95) to take silver in 4:26.02. Both athletes nailed World U20 qualifiers. Garnys filling the podium with a two seconds PB time of 4:27.95. Prior to this season her PB was 4:36. Meaker was fourth with 4:29.87 and Miller fifth in a time of 4:32.16. In April at the Australian Junior championships, they will all join a growing list of over 10 athletes with World U20 qualifiers.

The quickest athlete competing at the championships, Zavier Peacock (BAN) took the U20 100m final in 10.73 after clocking 10.64 in the heats. The real action was happening behind him with Mingara’s Lucas Schneider, who arrived at the championships seeded around seventh in the U20 men’s 100m, scraping into the final ranked ninth. Going into the final his outside ranking didn’t seem to faze him against some big names like Billy Blair and John McDonald, with Schneider going on to take the silver medal in 10.98, from Scots’ James Vine.

Three women dipped under 55 seconds in the 400s and claiming World U20 qualifiers. In the 17s Newcastle’s Alice Hill, running 54.53 seconds for a three second win, clocked the fastest of the day with 54.53 seconds. In a thrilling finish in the U20s, Mariam Kamara held off Naomi Krajancic 54.77 to 54.81.

The 15-years 400m girls race looked an open event after the heats, and it play out that way in the final with a wall of four athletes together 80 metres before the finish line. But pre-race favourite, Camden’s Alicia Webb, would not be denied, taking the title in 56.02 seconds, out dipping Ryde’s Sienna Wade (56.04), with Illawong’s Mia Wood taking bronze (56.75) just ahead of Camden Haven’s Bethany Morson (57.03). In the 13s 400m we witnessed a comfortable win for Inner West athlete Annika Kumar in a super time of 56.95.

Just 15 hours after winning the U20 3000m, Kayden Elliott was back in the battle competing in the 1500m. With a 58.5 seconds last lap, the Glen Innes athlete took the NSW title in 3:52.44, to clinch the distance running double. Elliott overcomes more than most to travel to meets, located seven hours by road in northern NSW.

There were two terrific wins in the shot put by our Australian champions, Filtomas Finekifolau (17 years) and Mckayla Grobler (16-years). Finekifolau hit 17.77m, to defeat Victorian visitor Theodore Eliadis with an excellent distance of 17.77m, while Grobler hit 14.58m.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Women’s U20 1500m (courtesy of David Tarbotton)