The final day of the Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics All Schools Championships brings a blend of high-stakes finals, with individual and team titles on the line as national record holders Lucas Chis and Tallara Joseph-Riogi prepare to lead the charge.
The morning begins with a surge of one-lap talent as Rose Acklin (QLD) and Olly McDonald (NSW) headline the Under18 400m finals. McDonald, the fastest on paper, progressed comfortably as the top qualifier in 49.22 but will be chasing something far sharper in the final – a performance closer to his 46.85 personal best as he looks to secure qualification for the 2026 World Athletics Under 20 Championships.
Acklin enters her final All Schools appearance with a commanding resume, owning a 53.52 best that places her more than three seconds clear of the field. In the Under 16 Girls 400m, keep a close watch on Naomi Krajancic (NSW) whose 54.49 best would make her competitive among even the older age group.
While Australia’s fastest schoolgirl has been formally crowned, Emilia Reed (WA) and Rhema Adelaja (NSW) will set tongues wagging in the Under 16 Girls 100m, with each of them looking to beat the 11.55-second performance that saw Maya Taber crowned as Australia’s fastest schoolgirl on Friday.
Reed enters the stadium for the second time this Championships after claiming silver in the Under 16 Girls 200m, and with the national record of 11.45 to her name, the Western Australian will be looking to blast out of the blocks in record time. Adelaja also poses as a threat having beaten Reed in the 200m, and her best of 11.49-seconds also ahead of Taber on paper.
Oliver Facer (NSW) will be the man to beat in the Under 18 Boys 110m Hurdles, arriving in Melbourne with a blazing 13.31 to his name – a mark that places him as the fastest junior in the country this year. With the meet record of 13.24 well within reach, the teenager will line up for what could be a defining moment in his final All Schools appearance.
While Facer stands alone as the Under 18 favourite, the Under 17 Boys 110m Hurdles sets the stage for one of the most evenly matched clashes of the day. National champion Ken Ferrante Tanikawa (SA) and silver medallist Cameron Badger (NSW) share identical personal and season’s bests of 13.61 and with Badger knowing what’s possible, another showdown is imminent.
Ranked as the top seed in the Under 18 Girls Javelin Throw, Nahkiya Mullins-Walit (QLD) is poised for a commanding performance. The Deception Bay Athletics Club thrower has enjoyed a breakout season, reaching 54.45m to sit more than two metres clear of the national age group field.
Tallara Joseph-Riogi (NSW) will make her mark in the Under 17 ranks as the Under 16 national record holder, often throwing distances well beyond the rest of her field. If she brings the same power to the runway as she did on Day One in the Discus Throw, she will again be the premier thrower of her age group.
Lauren Kelly (WA) will be back in action after claiming gold and a World Under 20 qualifier in the discus, and will take on the Under 18 Shot Put for a second chance at gold. Cut above the rest, with a difference of three-metres between her personal best and second-seed Saskia Josipovic (Queensland).
High jump action will be a highlight of the day with two standout contenders in the Under 17 Boys division, in Kelly Lewis (NSW) and Ethan Gration (QLD) who enter with impressive bests of 2.03m and 2.01m respectively. Both athletes have been consistent this year, setting up a head-to-head battle for the title. Later in the morning, attention shifts to the Under 18 Girls High Jump where Rebecca Howarth (ACT) leads the field with a 1.74m best.
Middle-distance racing takes centre stage with five 1500m finals, each boasting genuine star power. Emma Fryga (QLD) returns to the Melbourne track for the Under 17 race as the overwhelming favourite, with the meet record appearing more probable than possible. Her outstanding 4:17.53 places her nearly ten seconds clear of the field and anything close to that performance will put the 4:23.41 meet record mark in danger.
In the Under 18 division, Hannah Tourneur (SA) will look to upgrade her 3000m silver to gold, carrying a strong 4:28.77 into the race. But she won’t be alone in the hunt. Victoria’s Lucy Jones (4:29.76) shapes as a major threat with both athletes eying the 4:27.00 World Under 20 qualifying standard, ensuring the pace will be hot from the gun. Eliza Lawton (NSW) will too be looking to impress in the U16 ranks, with her 4:20.35 personal best putting her in contention for her second meet record and gold medal of the meet after claiming victory in the 3000m.
One of Australia’s most exciting young middle-distance prospects Lucas Chis (VIC) arrives in superb form after breaking the national Under 18 5000m record but this week his focus shifts to the 1500m. With a blistering 3:43.70 recorded at the Maurie Plant Meet before his 17th birthday, Chis enters his home stadium as the clear favourite and the athlete everyone else will be marking closely. The race is his to control and his to win if he executes to his usual standard.
The Under 17 race sees Kieran Shepherd (ACT) as the standout on paper, with a 3:50.40 season’s best and a time that places him well clear of the field. Shepherd will be looking to make it two golds from two events this championships after claiming the win in the 3000m.
The Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics All Schools Championships State team competition ends today, with the National Schools Challenge taking place tomorrow.
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted 7/12/2025
