Meet records fell and World Under 20 qualifiers were set on Day One of the Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics All Schools Championships in Melbourne, where the country’s next generation of athletics talent delivered standout performances from start to finish.
Walking his way to gold, Samuel Lindsay (TAS) celebrated a win in style with a personal best, a meet record and a World Under 20 Championships qualifying time of 2:07.71 in the Under 18 5000m walk.
Finishing more than 36 seconds ahead of silver medallist Sebastian Richards (SA), Lindsay took down the meet record of Olympian Declan Tingay from 2016, while Richards too clocked a time under the 20:50.00 world junior qualifying mark with 20:44.91.
Continuing the race walking action, Ela Uzun (VIC) torched the Under 17 meet record in the 5000m Race Walk despite being just 15-years-old, taking down her Under 18 rivals as well in the combined event as she walked to a time of 22:55.80.
Erasing the former meet record of 23:55.80, the Victorian won by a margin of almost three minutes – securing gold for the locals:
“I enjoyed moving up an age group because I really enjoy the 5k, which is one of my favouirte events. I was confident that I could win and I wanted to go at my own pace, I felt good at it and I kept it up for the whole race,” Uzun said.
Adding to the meet record action, 15-year-old Eliza Lawton (NSW) timed her run to perfection in the Under 16 Girls 3000m, breaking the tape in 9:25.84 to set World Under 20 Championships qualifier and lower the former meet record of 9:27.55.
Lawton made her move in the final kilometre to overtake Amelia Sheridan (SA) who was rewarded with the Under 15 title in 9:28.71, while Zach Heffernan (QLD) served up a meet record of his own with a front-running spectacle in the Under 16 Boys 3000m – clocking 8:29.65 to give the Australian Under 16 record of 8:25.31 a scare.
It was a golden finish to a golden school athletics career for hammer thrower Arielle Cannell (TAS), who won her fifth and final All Schools title with a distance of 61.97m in the Under 18 Girls event, despite a challenge from silver medallist Sophie Sears (QLD) with 58.77m.
“My aim for the competition was to get the first one in and I got all of them which is a positive, so that felt pretty good,” Cannell said.
“I’d like to thank my mum and my dad and the rest of my family, for supporting me and encouraging me because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. And my coach John (Eden) in New Zealand for taking me on board. It’s been a really good journey so far and I really appreciate it as well.”
A consistent series saw the Tasmanian throw all four efforts all over 59m, setting her up on the road to Brisbane 2032 and beyond, while Connor Hopgood (QLD) added to the hammer throw action when clinching the Under 18 Boys title with a 71.61m bomb – defeating Xavier Leauma (TAS) who was forced to settle for silver with a personal best of 70.50m.
Also on the field, 14-year-old Makayla Elcoate (QLD, T44) celebrated both a gold medal and a new personal best, when leaping to 4.19m (+0.6) in the U15 Para Long Jump. The World Para Athletics Championships representative won the event with a score of 84.13 on the BASELINE system, almost 20 points ahead of silver medallist Lily Berry (T20, QLD) who also landed a personal best of 4.06m (-1.0).
In the Under 18 Girls 3000m, Leanne Ellis (VIC) spoiled the South Australian party kicking over the top of race-favourite Hannah Tourneur (SA) in the final lap to finish in 9:40.22, while Kieran Shepherd (ACT) loomed large in the bell lap of the Under 17 Boys 3000m – winning in 8:39.10 and beating home his Under 18 rivals to boot.
The Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics All Schools Championships continues tomorrow from 9am AEDT, with eight hours streamed live on the Sideline Sports platform from 10am. Tickets are still available at: https://bit.ly/AllSchools25-Tickets
By Lachlan Moorhouse and Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted 4/12/2025
