SALAMANDER Bay athletics sensation Anna Taylor has bolstered her Commonwealth Youth Games credentials with gold medal winning feats at the Hunter Secondary Schools Athletics Championships at Glendale’s Hunter Sports Centre.
The emerging 15-year-old track and field star was part of a talented crop of Port Stephens junior athletes to stamp their mark at last week’s regional titles and qualify for the upcoming NSW Combined High School championships from 9-11 September at Homebush.
Versatile Anna spearheaded a strong Tomaree High School contingent with gold medal honours in the Girls under-15yrs 100m sprint, long jump and triple jump events and as part of the triumphant 4 x 100m relay team.
She also collected a silver medal in the high jump – missing out on extra gold on a countback after registering the same height of 1.46m with Rutherford High’s Sophia Tansu.
Taylor, an exciting prospect from the Port Stephens Athletics Centre, clocked a personal best time 13.13 sec to win the 100m sprint from Glendale High’s Jenice Hicks (13.24 sec) with Tomaree High’s Mia McDonald finishing fourth in 14.01 sec.
She later leaped 4.93m to claim gold in the long jump and 10.41m to clinch the under-15 triple jump event.
Fleet-footed Anna then combined with her Tomaree High classmates McDonald, Maebel Colley and Fern Cullimore to win the 4 x 100m relay title in a sizzling time of 52.66 sec from Lambton High and Great Lakes High – just outside the regional meet record of 52.00 sec set by Maitland High back in 1999.
It was a third consecutive relay title for the champion quartet.
Top-credentialled coach Bob Walkley told News Of The Area that his gifted pupil was “on the cusp” of higher honours.
“Anna has loads of potential and a strong work ethic in all her disciplines and is tracking well for a spot in the Commonwealth Youth Games squad,” Walkley said.
“She is training the house down with her sprint work and hurdles sessions and her performances are bearing fruit with a haul of medals at competitive meets.”
Other Tomaree athletes to shine included promising 17-year-old distance runner Cameron Andrews, who snared a silver medal in the Boys under 17-19yrs 1500m final with a time of 4:31.69 sec behind Swansea High’s Harry Hall (4:25.70 sec); silver in the 800m (2:15.84 sec) behind Hunter Sports High’s Nate Ward, with Hunter River High’s Oliver Russo grabbing bronze.
Andrews also claimed bronze in the 3000m final with Swansea High duo Hall and Tom Chalmers picking up gold and silver.
Tomaree’s Archer Todd won gold in the Boys under-15 Javelin (43.75m) and Shot Put (13.07m) while Maxx McMahon,17, earned the Boys 17-19yrs High Jump title (1.85m).
Xavien Dorin grabbed gold in the Boys Under 14 Shot Put with a throw of 10.49m; Jamie-Lee Taylor collected silver in the Girls Under 12-13yrs Javelin (29.03m) and Eva Hanrahan bronze in the Girls Under 15 Shot Put.
Meritorious achievements were recorded by Tomaree athletes Jayden Hotene, Calvin McKay, Hunter Travers, Ashton Terry, Mason Beaver, Rhys Dolesko, Oliver Hoffman, Willow McTaggart, Rose Cochrane, Grace Walshe, Lilly Cullimore, Zahli Read and Kalani Spackman.
Irrawang High School at Raymond Terrace paraded some talented prospects led by boom 16 year old field athlete Bryn Wells, who won gold in both the Boys under-16 long jump (5.45m) and high jump finals (1.74m).
Tyler Collins earned silver in the Boys under-13s 100m sprint (12.92 sec) behind winner Marlo Thompson of Great Lakes High and bronze in the 200m while Nash Rowbottom claimed silver in the Boys 17-19yrs shot put; Emily Watson bronze in the Girls under-14yrs 100m and Caleb Pucevski bronze in the Boys under-16 discus (23.61m).
Others to impress were Megan McKay, Harrison Cahill, Archie Green, Wyatt Cottrell, Kynan Dorn, Harry Mathieson and Sage Funaki.
Hunter River High’s Broc Agnew showed his wares – claiming silver in the Boys under-16yrs 200m (24.38 sec) behind Hunter Sports High gold medalist Flynn Ward (23.84 sec) and fourth in the 100m final.
By Chris KARAS
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