Must watch athletes at 2023 Tasmanian Track and Field Championships

From rising stars to some of Australia’s best athletes, there will be an array of talent on display at St Leonards throughout the weekend.

Here’s a look at some of the athletes to keep an eye on.

EASTERN SUBURBS

Arielle Cannell

Tasmanian record holder and Australian champion in various age groups in the hammer throw and discus. Expected to dominate the junior throws, and also stepping up to the Open Discus.

Kiani Allen

Fresh off defending her Froggy Wise Memorial 100m title earlier in the season, will be looking to break through for her first Tasmanian 100m championship.

Laura McShane

Defending 400m Tasmanian champion and also fastest in Tasmania for 2023 over 200m, going for the sprint treble in 100, 200 and 400.

Lacey Tilyard

Top ranked under-18 in Tasmania over the 400m, competing in the under-16 this weekend and expected to challenge for a number of junior championships.

Luke Palmer

An Australian junior gold medallist who has challenged the Tasmanian 800m record this season and will be looking to challenge that record again, while stepping up in age to compete in the under-20 800 and 1500m.

NEWSTEAD

Alex Wojcik

The current state under-18 decathlon champion finished third in the under-17 division of last year’s national championships. He will be competing in open 400m, under-18 discus, shot put, 100m, long jump and hurdles. He aims to finish on the decathlon podium at the national championships and exceed his personal best points total of 5665.

Trinity Inall-Bejah

Competing in the under-20 100m, 200m and open 200m, Inall Bejah was a Tasmanian Athletic League Female Sprinter of the Year and a semi-finalist at last year’s Stawell Gift. She will be competing at Stawell again this Easter, and at the National Championships in Brisbane. An indigenous athlete also identified under the Spirit of Sprinting Program.

Abbie Butler

Aiming to win the 1500m and 800m this weekend. At next weekend’s Brisbane Track Classic she aims to break 10 minutes in 3000m steeplechase, and at Nationals to win the under-20 3000m steeplechase. Butler is the Current AT record holder in the under 19-20 3000m steeplechase, and second fastest all-time Tasmanian in the same event.

Chanel Charles

The Australian All Schools under-14 400m champion at Adelaide in December, Charles will be competing in open 400m and aiming to run 57 seconds.

Sam Lindsay

Current 3000m walk AT record holder in the under-16, 17 and 18s. He aims to win at the national championships at Brisbane in April.

Cammi Thomas

The AT under-14 women’s triple jump record holder (11.25m) set last month, she aims to win and hopefully break her own record.

Will Bottle

Bottle will compete in the under-18 5km walk and is the state record holder at under-18 and 20 level. Aiming to win his age group at nationals and qualify for World Junior Championships.

NORTHERN SUBURBS

Arden Petersen

Rising star Petersen has set six new club records this season will contest the middle distance 800m/1500m double. His PB’s of 2.08.04 and 4.20.65 set this year will give the 12-year-old a lot of confidence as he takes on the state’s best.

Brandon Clark

In the field, Clarkwill look to entertain once more. The multiple Tasmanian long jump champion has a season best of 7.09m (and a PB of 7.39m) and always does his utmost to bring a bit of showmanship to the sandpit.

Cedric Ngotho

Set to challenge one of the nation’s best, Jack Hale, in the sprints. Ngotho has season personal bests of 0.78 and 21.93 (PB’s of 10.78 and 21.76). It’ll be a rare outing over the longer sprint for the dual Commonwealth Games representative, who has watched relay teammate Jacob Despard take down the state records on two occasions already this season.

Dan Wood

Wood has scored the most points in the 2022-23 interclub season, while setting 23 new personal bests throughout the season including four sub 2-minute 800m runs will contest the 800m/1500m double. His PB’s are 1.56.57 and 4.02.89.

Jack Hale

Hale has made Hobart home again after a five-year stint in Melbourne. The Northern Suburbs Athletic Club member has toed the line in a state championship for a number of years, but will lead the club’s profile across the 3 days of action. Hale will line up in both the 100m and 200m with season bests of 10.30 and 21.08 (and PB’s of 10.12 and 20.93).

Jessica Smith

Fifteen-year-old Smith, better known for her steeplechase, has stood on the podium at the past two Australian Junior Championships, including gold, will contest the 1500m. Having set a new Personal Best only last week at 4.42.25 she will be in the mix. Jess will face up against Sophie Connolly who recently set a new club record of 4.37.91 and recently placed at the Box Hill Classic (Victoria) with a 4.38.64.

Ruth Wilson

Wilson, who was this season’s 10,000m champion, is set to contest the 5000m this weekend.

NORTH LAUNCESTON

Thomas Watters

Will be competing in a range of events but focusing on the under-18 110m hurdles, where this year he has set new northern best performances, add the high jump where he has a personal best of 1.91cm. He has qualified for nationals in both these events.

Izzy Wing

Wing’s main events will be the 100 and 200m, 100m hurdles and long jump. She has qualified for the sprints from under-17s through to under-20s and hurdles and the heptathlon (under-17 and under-18) for nationals.

Charli Ross

Ross is aiming for a national qualifier in triple jump (11.30m) and needs to find another 14cm. She has national qualifiers in the heptathlon and the 100m hurdles, and is also close to the javelin qualifier.

Connor Wright

Wright has had an interrupted couple of seasons through injury but has started to hit some form of late and will feature in the open 100 and 200m. He has run under the 11-second barrier and is aiming to break the North Launceston club record.

NORTH WEST

Ashley Fehlberg

Fehlberg is an immensely talented young middle distance runner. She has been breaking NWAC age records aplenty this season. She is running both under-16 events and has entered the open 1500m.

Chelsea Scoyler

Scoyler is flying. Twice this season Scoyler has broken the 12-second barrier for the 100m. She will be a big chance in the open women’s 100m and 200m. With the retirement of Morgan Gaffney (NWAC), the multiple 100m and 200m champion, Scoyler is hoping to keep the gold medal on the coast.

Daniel Reeves

Defending open men’s 400m champion. In stellar form, running a lifetime best last Saturday in Penguin at 34-years-old.

Lily Overton

Defending open women’s 1500m champion. Running into good form but will have her work cut out with a lot of very good young Hobart and Launceston based athletes all running well.

Taya Munday

Munday will continue the tradition of outstanding women throwers from the North West Coast. She is in excellent form and will compete in a number of throws and age groups.

OVA SOUTHERN SAINTS

With OVA’s number one ranked national senior athlete Jacob Despard in New Zealand on national duties, focus turns to the club’s best crop of junior and para-athletes.

Alexander McKillop

McKillop is a T36 classified Para athlete who will be competing in the open men’s sprints. With a number of Australian junior sprint records to his name, McKillop is enjoying a recent return to form and will be looking to go close to his pbs in preparation for the upcoming National Championships.

Bailey Van Den Broek

At just 14, Van Den Broek is currently the state’s number one ranked senior high jumper. She will be looking to medal in six individual events across the under-16 and open age groups as well as running the senior 4x100m relay.

Blake Doyle

The 16 year-old emerging talent is down to compete in five individual events (under-18 hurdles, long jump and triple jump) and the open high jump and long jump. He will be looking to give multiple state champion Brandon Clark a real scare in the long jump, as well as running in the 4x100m relay.

Ella Atkins

The current Australian under-18 steeplechase champion will be turning her focus to the women’s senior 1500m race for a tilt at her first senior state title. With form improving and just two weeks from nationals, watch out for a big performance from Atkins.

Natalia Leszczynski

Leszczynski is one of the state’s most versatile and top ranked throwers. Entered in five events in both the under-20 and senior age groups, she will be looking to get to the top step of the dias across both age groups in javelin, discus and shot put events.

SANDY BAY

Alexander Kwa

Represented Australia last year in the steeplechase and will be keen to impress in one of his last races in a Tasmania before heading off to the United States to take up a scholarship with Drake University. Will compete in the open men’s 1500m.

James Taranto

Set to compete in the open men’s 800, Taranto has made the trip over from Victoria where he has been posting personal best times. Will be right in the mix for a medal.

Lilly Ellis

The defending open women’s 800m champion hasn’t had the best of seasons but has returned to form at the right time and has the speed to take out the event if she can get her race tactics right.

Sam Essex

Coached by former Australian representative Troy Bennett, Essex has made steady improvement throughout the season to become one of the best horizontal jumpers in the state. Will be a medal threat in the open men’s long and triple jumps.

Violet Owen

The national junior champion and state junior record holder over 1500m is stepping up to the open age group and is a strong chance of becoming one of the youngest ever state champions. She has been in good form all season and coach Susan Andrews has her primed for these Championships.

UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA

Bailey Murzecki-Hince

Set to compete in the men’s 5000m this weekend after a breakthrough 2022 where he claimed the state 3000m and 5000m titles, while also picking up a bronze in the 1500m. Entering the event with a personal best of 14.18, he will start favourite for the event, but can expect a challenge from his UTAS Athletics Club teammate Nick Earl, who is preparing for the London Marathon. Bailey is coached remotely by the legendary Collis Birmi.

Hamish Peacock

Peacock is no stranger to state titles, winning more than any other Tasmanian athlete. Hamish will take to the runway in Launceston this weekend in the hope to claim his 18th consecutive Tasmanian javelin title. As a dual Commonwealth Games medallist, three-time World Championship representative and Olympian, Hamish is arguably Tasmania’s best ever field athlete and a read through Athletics Tasmania’s history will support this claim. In addition to his 17 Open Javelin titles, Peacock has also won nine state titles in discus plus multiple medals in shot put, hammer and triple jump.

Jackson Mellor

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One of Tasmania’s most improved athletes over the past year, Mellor has shot up the Tasmanian all-time rankings in both discus and shot put, now sitting in the top-eight or both events. Despite suffering a broken foot at the start of the season, Jackson’s commitment to training throughout his recovery has seen him barely miss a beat in competition, delivering a series of personal best throws in recent weeks.

Raphaela Corney

At just 22, Corney will be lining up this weekend looking to claim her 10th state title. She enters the event as the Tasmanian Open and Allcomers record holder with a clearance of 4.11m. Keeping it in the family, Corney will be joined in the open women’s pole vault her mother Rita, who is fresh off the plane from the Australian Masters Championships where she won gold in the W40 age group.

Originally published as Must watch athletes at 2023 Tasmanian Track and Field Championships