On a day that celebrated Australia’s distance running rise at Victoria Park, it was Zach Facioni and Bronte Oates who conquered both their rivals and the terrain to be crowned national champions with a pair of breakthrough wins.
In one of the most open Australian title bouts of recent times, Facioni (VIC, Craig Mottram) carved through the Men’s 10km course to add his name to the rich list of national champions in the discipline, with his international experience providing the edge.
A surging affair saw multiple athletes shoot their shot for glory at the head of the field, but it was the Victorian who bided his time to break the tape in a time of 30:33, finishing six-seconds ahead of silver medallist Aidan Velten (VIC, Dick Telford), while Matthew Buckell (VIC, Andrew Buchanan) secured bronze.
Representing Australia at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships earlier this year, the 26-year-old credited his win to his running his own race and the experience gained in the NCAA system where he graduated from Wake Forest University.
“There was a lot more surging than I thought, I didn’t really know how it was going to go. I thought Ed Marks would be running and he would take it out hard, but without him I just tried to close them down slowly,” Facioni said.
“It’s all about staying composed, running your own race and not letting anyone else bother you. That’s the best thing you can do. As soon as you change up your game plan or follow other people, that’s when you can get into trouble.”
Bronze medallist Buckell pushed the pace early while Velten stalked the leaders throughout, but it was Facioni who reigned supreme with a commanding move in the final two kilometres:
“This is the perfect battlefield to build strength. Long mileage in the winter and cross country races can get you so strong.”
Racing on her 21st birthday, Bronte Oates (NSW, Katie St Lawrence) celebrated in style with her maiden Australian title when winning the Women’s 10km event and sharing in the $25,000 prize pool, dominating the contest from gun to tape to win by a margin of 20-seconds.
Fresh off the FISU World University Games, Oates was full of confidence as she established a gap on her rivals in the opening kilometres, composing herself through the mud and over the logs to salute in a time of 34:44, beating home two-time Olympian Jenny Blundell (NSW, James Fitzgerald) in 35:04 and World Cross Country representative Georgia Hansen (VIC, Gavin Burren) in 35:30.
“I love running and feel like I do better when I’m out in front from the start, so that was my goal for today. It is a little bit stressful, but I try to stay calm and hope for the best,” Oates said.
“I do love a few more hills, but they added some fun bits with all the mud. It gives me a boost of confidence to have won a national title. I’m really excited about that and hopefully I can keep to momentum going to the World Cross Country next year.”
In the Under 20 ranks, it was 16-year-old Isabella Valinoti (QLD, Lizel Moore) who blew away the field over six-kilometres, stretching her lead throughout the race to win in 20:52 ahead of Imogen Baker (VIC) and Lara Sacaner (VIC), while Yohanes Asmare (VIC) was equally dominant in the Under 20 Men’s 8km when winning in 24:30 ahead of Padraig Heffernan (QLD) and Harrison Boyn (NSW).
A pair of Paralympians headlined the Para-athletics action as Michael Roeger (SA, Philo Saunders) and Annabelle Colman (VIC, Anthony de Castella & Liz Gosper) led the way for the next generation over 3km, winning with times of 9:04 and 11:02 respectively.
“It reminded me of being a kid and where all my running began, so I’m glad I made the trip to Ballarat. It’s great to see these kids running so well and I keep telling them that Brisbane 2032 is on the horizon and to stick at it,” Roeger said.
The 2025 Australian Athletics Cross Country Championships are part of the Chemist Warehouse Winter Series and is supported by the Victorian Government through Sport and Recreation Victoria.
Full results can be found HERE.
The action will roll on tomorrow in Ballarat with the Australian Athletics Junior Race Walking Championships and Australian Athletics Cross Country Relays, adding to the weekend which included almost 200 recreational runners completing The Golden 5k this morning.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 23/08/2025
