NSW All Schools: Day 3 American Prem Hegerman goes off script with 800m win

28 September 2026

NSW All Schools: Day 3 American Prem Hegerman goes off script with 800m win

Light tail winds on day three of the 2026 NSW All Schools Championships helped the sprinters to a load meet records, while in distance events there some thrilling finishes.

Prem Hegerman goes off script as he swoops in for 800m win
On paper the boys 19-years 800m looked a close battle between good friends, Kings student Nathaniel Clarke (400m champion) and Ben Woodhouse (1500m champion). They had PBs of 1:51.26 and 1:51.52 respectively. But Saint Augustine's College student Prem Hegerman hadn’t read the script. With a PB of 1:53.08 he looked to be an outside chance for the podium.

At the bell Clark and Woodhouse were running together, while Hegerman was back in 4th. The two leaders battled out the last lap, but coming into the home straight Prem Hegerman suddenly appeared and motored home to take the win in 1:51.87 from Clarke (1:51.97) and Woodhouse (1:52.15). 

Like us, going into the race Prem Hegerman agreed who the race favourites were.
“Dude, they're both big dogs and Ben was backing up (from the 1500m), said Hegerman.
“He beat me last week and I'll be racing him all season. He's a great guy, same with Nathan.” 

What were Hegerman’s tactics?
“Sit and kick, really. I thought I’d left it too late to be completely honest. It was just grit in the last 100m.”

Hegerman who has played soccer and a little water polo is very new to athletics.
“This is my third season. I think was 5th last year in this race.”

What brought him to athletics?
“It was all my dad and my mom, they were both track athletes, and they just posed the idea and I ran away with it. They're both American. My dad was a triathlete, and my mom was a track athlete at college.”
Hegerman will follow in their footsteps taking up a US college track scholarship next year.
The all-American family moved to Australia in 2014 for their parents work, then they went to China and returned to Australia in 2020.

Golden four for Lachlan Chappell
It has been another incredible campaign for Waverley College’s Lachlan Chappell. Claiming the sprint treble, all in meet record times, he removed some very old records and greats from the record books. One of these was Olympian Paul Greene who held the 200m record at 23.09, until Chappell clocked 22.48 on Monday. Greene, who was a 1996 Olympian, made Commonwealth Games finals in the 200m and 400m. In retirement he was a guitarist and joined Australian superband Ghostwriters with drummer Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil) and bassist Rick Grossman (ex-Hoodoo Gurus).

Chappell also won the shot in an extraordinary competition. Arriving with a PB of 15.68m, he was struggling after the first two round with a best of 13.84m and sitting in third place behind 14.84m and 14.11m putts. But in his third round he opened up, pumping the 3kg shot out to a PB 16.00m to close down the competition with a comfortable win. 

Four titles for Sienna Vassella
For a heptathlete to win individual medals is good, but to win four titles, in quality performances, is remarkable. That was Sienna Vassella in the 15-years events. She won the 100m (11.71), long jump (5.92m), 90m hurdles (13.26 into a headwind) and the 200m in 23.85 – just 0.02 seconds outside the record. Astonishingly they were all PBs. She is entered for the 200m hurdles on the last day.

Second consecutive meet record for pole vaulter Nimrod Zsolt Zsomber
Nimrod Zsolt Zsomber totally dominated the 14-years Pole Vault. After the field had all finished at 3.10m, Zsomber took his first jump at 3.70m, then made first up clearances at 3.90m, 4.01m. He then required three attempts to clear 4.15m then 4.25m. 
Zsomber destroyed the old meet record of 4.00, raising it on three occasions. He also improved his own PB from 4.17m to 4.25m.
The 14-year-old is now #10 on the NSW All Schools All-time list.

Outstanding throwers
In the 15-years boys shot Central Coast’s Fonokalafi Fa'anunu was excellent nailing a throw of 18.42m. Coached by Percival Sales, he won the title by a comfortable 2.55m.  
Despite his big win Fa'anunu, it took him a while to get going in the competition.
“I was trying to find my rhythm in the first three rounds, and finally got a good one out in the last one,” said Fa'anunu.

Throwing close to his PB was Kalisi Aualiitia winner of the 16-years hammer throw. Aualiitia hit 59.73m, to win by over nine metres. The Patrician Brothers Blacktown student is coached by Bre Clement.

National shot-put champion, Savannah Auvva was untroubled winning the 14-years event with a distance of 13.59m – fractionally below her PB. The Denison College Bathurst student dominated the event with all her four throws sufficient to take the title.

BRIEFLY
Central Coast duo Harrison McClusky and Matthew Shaw ran side-by-side for most of the 19-years 5000m until the bell when McClusky lifted his tempo and ran on to win in a meet record time of 14:41.60, from Shaw in 14:48.90. Both dipped well under the previous record, McClusky by nine seconds as he also set a personal best.

After his stunning 400m in the rain on Sunday – the fastest in the history of the championships in any age - Bathurst’s Dylan Ruming was back in action running the 200m heat and final, finishing up with a comfortable win in 21.43.

Training partners Maya Taber (17-years) and Rhema Adelaja (16-years) won sprint doubles, with Adelaja’s 200m time of 23.52 taking down a long-standing meet record. Both overcame very high-quality fields in both sprints.

Bega High’s Eamon Henderson overcame the disappointment of a disqualification at the start of the 110m hurdles, to dominate the 16-years 200m in a time of 21.32 – the quickest 200m across the championships. In the 14-years 200m, Gymea High’s Finn Doyle won his second title and equalled the meet record with his time of 22.49.

David Tarbotton for NSW Athletics
Image: Prem Hegerman wins the 19-years 800m (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)