The first events of the Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics All Schools Championships are in the books and Day Two looms even larger, with the battle to crown Australia’s fastest school sprinters set to light up Melbourne.
The day begins with power in the circle as World Para Athletics Championships silver medallist Kirra Wright (VIC, T36) returns for the Under 20 Para Shot Put. Last time fans saw the 17-year-old, she arrived in New Delhi with a 7.61m best and launched to 8.30m – showing her ability to lift when it matters most. While on paper Michayla Espie (NSW, T20) has the biggest PB of the field with a 9.70m throw, the winner of the multi-class event will be decided by which athlete has the highest score on the BASELINE system.
Wright’s appearance sets the tone for a big double-event day when taking on Australian teammates Telaya Blacksmith (T20, NSW) and Briseis Brittain (NT, T38) in the U20 Para 100m. Blacksmith will be in pole position to take line honours with a 12.32 performance under her belt this year but will be challenged by Brittain’s 13.78 to claim the win.
The Under 18 Girls and Boys 100m heats and finals will determine the title of Australia’s fastest school athletes. Queenslander Jonathan Kasiano (10.50) enters Lakeside Stadium with unfinished business after narrowly missing gold at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth earlier this year, but New South Wales talent Zavier Peacock (10.44) is poised to push him all the way.
While the Under 18 Boys 100m traditionally delivers the fastest times of the entire meet, Kasiano and Peacock won’t just be looking sideways, they will also be looking down an age group. The athlete everyone has their eye on is Uwezo Lubenda (NQ), who lit up the track with 10.35 at the Northern Queensland All Schools Championships – a performance that catapulted him onto the national radar and makes him a genuine threat for the fastest school boys crown.
A classic Victoria vs New South Wales showdown is on the cards in the Under 18 Girls ranks, with Grace Crowe (VIC) entering as the narrowest of top seeds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Ava Ross (NSW). As the only two athletes in the field to have dipped under 12-seconds, this final promises a fierce, quality clash from gun to tape while Maya Taber (NSW) also presents a challenge to the pair in the Under 17 ranks, having run 11.54 this season.
Last time Australians saw Samuel Allen (Queensland, T37) in action, he broke both the 100m and 200m T37 Open records at the World Para Athletics Championships in Delhi and today he will be trying to pick up where he left off, looking to lower his 11.80 best for another record to start his season in the U20 Para ranks.
The youngest athletes on the same Australian team, Lexie Brown (NSW, T47) and Makayla Elcoate (QLD, T44) will go head-to-head in the Under 15 Para 100m, with Brown’s season’s best of 12.85 pushing Elcoate’s 14.55, with the highest score on the BASELINE system set to earn the gold medal. Brown will be boosted with wanting to improve her best early in the season as she vies Commonwealth Games selection later next year.
Emilia Reed (Western Australia) will contest the Under 16 Girls 200m alongside Rhema Adelaja (New South Wales) who both boast sub-24 second credentials. Reed’s best of 23.29 has seen her lock in a qualifier for the 2026 World Under 20 Championships, but will also threaten the 23.54 meet record, while Adelaja’s 23.41 places her in the same position.
National record holder Tate Van Camp (QLD) will be the one to beat in the Under 16 Boys 800m, having already broken the 1:50 barrier at the young age of 15. More than five seconds separates the Queenslander from his closest rival, Oscar Turnbull (NSW, 1:55.40), with Van Camp already holding a World Under 20 Championships qualifier.
Karla, Boras (VIC)will hit the runway for the first of her two events in the Under 18 Girls Triple Jump. With a lifetime best of 12.84m, Boras is the favourite for gold and will have the added incentive of chasing the 13.00m qualifying standard for the World Under 20 Championships, following in the footsteps of her sister Tiana who won triple jump bronze in 2022’s installment of the championships in Cali, Colombia.
Jason Koullas (QLD) and Lauren Kelly (WA) will defend their titles of king and queen of the discus throw in the Under 18 ranks, with the World Under 20 Championships qualified athletes aiming to better their throws of 59.60m and 52.92m respectively, while the Under 17 Pole Vault will see New South Wales’ Csenge Zsuzsanna Zsombor aiming to clear 4.00m for the first time, with her best of 3.95m already better than the meet record of 3.91m.
Day Two of the Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics All Schools Championships begins tomorrow at 9am AEDT, and can be watched live and free from 10am via the Sideline Sport Platform.
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted 5/12/2025
