Three BluescopeWIN Lonestar and four Athletes with a Disability (AWD) IAS athletes represented NSW at the Australian Track and Field Championships from 12-19 April 2021.
AWD athletes, Charlize Colwell and Telaya Blacksmith led the charge and showed their strength to claim medals in five of the Women’s U15 Para events. Telaya won the Long Jump with an outstanding jump of 4.26m, backing up with a silver in the 200m in 29.28 seconds and a bronze in the 100m in 14.40 seconds.
Charlize Colwell proved her pace on the track to win the 800m in 3:09.10 and claimed silver in the 400m in 77.48 seconds. Charlize finished 4th in both the 100m and 200m to narrowly miss out on bronze. Following Nationals, Charlize headed straight for the Nation’s capital with a small group of athletes that show Paralympic potential, to attend a 3 day talent camp at the Australian Institute of Sport. She received sprint coaching and sport specific education from Australia’s top Paralympic coaches, including Iryna Dvoskina and Sebastian Kuzminski. A fantastic few weeks for this talented athlete!
Rosie Boyland competed in a tough Women’s Open Ambulant field and finished an admirable 4th in the Shot Put (9.36m) and 8th in the Discus (26.52m). Patrick Mitchell raced in the Men’s Ambulant Open 100m and 200m.
The BluescopeWIN Lonestar athletes also had a successful campaign, producing an array of stellar performances representing NSW.
In a quick field, middle distance star, Tayissa Buchanan took it to the best in the country in a tactical race to a finish 4th in the Women’s U16 1500m (4:44.42). Tayissa backed it up with a strong 800m heat, going into the final ranked 1st before narrowly finishing 4th in the final in 2:13.51.
Elias Oldfield raced a brilliant heat in the Men’s U15 400m to progress to the National final, where he finished 8th in 54.7 seconds.
Jordyn Martin finished 13th in the Women’s U17 2000m Steeplechase in 7:52.76.
Congratulations to all our NSW representatives on their fantastic performances at Nationals.