EVENT RECAP | 2024 COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

A huge weekend of athletics action has launched the 2024 season with Geraldton hosting more than 350 WA athletes for the 2024 Country Championships powered by Coles.

Over three days of competition, the best Country Athletes from around the state battled it for medals and a chance to qualify for the upcoming State Junior Track & Field Championships. The Junior athletes did not disappoint with a slew of Country Records falling across disciplines, highlighting the state’s depth of talent continues to shine through.

Bunbury & District Little Athletics Centre enjoyed a successful weekend and took out the overall Little Athletics Centre points competition. With an impressive 64 athletes contesting the Championships, the Centre won both the overall point score and handicapped scoring to return home Champions. Eastern Goldfields, Albany and host Geraldton battled it out for the final top two positions, with Eastern Goldfield just clinching second place in the handicapped scoring over Albany Little Athletics Centre.  

Leading the charge on Day One was Bunbury’s Jayden Fenn and Geraldton’s Tahlia Singleton. Fenn produced a huge throw of 12.79m in the U12 Boys Shot Put 2kg to set a record, while out on the track Singleton crossed the line in 9:14.96 in the U17 Girls 1500m Race Walk to enter her name in the record books.

Day Two delivered a staggering 12 new Country Records with Bunbury and Geraldton dominating out in the field. Fenn returned to the top of the podium with a massive win in the U12 Boys Discus and a herculean throw of 34.02m. The throws also delivered new records in the U14 Boys Javelin with PG Van Wyk (Albany) and Lochie Hadley (Geraldton) setting record throws, with local boy Hadley claiming the final mark of 33.92m. Australian All Schools Champion Gemma Buckle (Collie) replicated her recent brilliance in the Javelin to set a new Country Record of 45.43m in the U16 Javelin. While Bunbury’s Sebastian Murray secured a record in the U14 Boys Shot Put 4kg with a distance of 10.77m.

Out on the track, three hurdle records fell across the age groups. Wyatt Bonner (Bunbury) claimed the U12 Boys 80m Hurdles record in 13.82m, while in the U12 Girls 80m Hurdles Geraldton’s Amelia Heinrich set a record in 13.85. Local runner Logan Kirkland (Geraldton) impressed in the U16 Boys 100m Hurdles to cross the line in 17.75 and break the country record. While Bunbury’s Lily Smith set a new record of 26.61 in the U14 Girls 200m and Ziggy Freemantle (Bunbury) claimed the U16 Boys 1500m record in 4:24.6h.

Rounding out Day Two’s records in the jumps was Taya Campbell (Bunbury) who jumped 10.13m in the U12 Girls Triple Jump and Doreen Dayiri (Eastern Goldfields) clearing 1.10m in the U9 Girls High Jump.

The final day of the Championships delivered another four Country Championship records. WA State representative Isabella Bidesi (Bunbury) stormed across the line in the U17 Girls 800m to clinch the record in 2:22.7h. Ziggy Freemantle returned for his second record of the Championships, this time in the U16 Boys 800m with a final time of 2:05.6h. The Freemantle family kept the good times coming with Beau Freemantle also claiming a record in the U16 Boys Discus, with a winning distance of 27.71m. The change in U14 Javelin specifications saw multiple athletes once again clinch a record-setting mark. Geraldton’s Shiloh O’Reilly got things started with a throw of 29.37m, however, was bested by Brayshaw Scholarship Athlete Kaesha Campbell (Bunbury) winning with 32.32m.

To find complete results from the 2024 Country Championships powered by Coles, click HERE.

Athletics West proudly delivered the 2024 Country Championships powered by Coles in partnership with Geraldton Athletics Centre, Coles, City of Greater Geraldton, Healthway and their Go For 2&5 message, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Kumon, Keep On Running, and the Bibbulmun Fund powered by Fremantle Foundation.

You can follow all of the athletics action from the 2023/24 Athletics West Summer Season presented by Go For 2&5 via Athletics West’s Facebook & Instagram pages.

For any queries, please contact Athletics West at admin@athleticswest.com.au or 08 6272 0480.

By David Smith, Athletics West

Photograph: Arctic Moon Photography