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Tuesday, 4 April 2017

UWAAC have rounded out a tough eight days of competition at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships , to come away with one of the clubs most successful campaigns to date.

The largest annual athletics event in Australia, the 2017 AAC saw participants from across Australia and the oceanic region descend on Sydney Olympic Park to compete in the inaugural event.

Starting off strong on day one , UWA Athletics Clubs (UWAAC) J ackson Hamilton threw 42.48m in the U16 Para discus to break Benjamin MacFie’s 1997 national record in the F12 para category, which has stood for twenty years.

UWAACs Thomas Throssell breezed through his morning heat before going on to compete as WA’s sole representative in the U17 400m finals. Running from lane 9, Throssell pushed out with a strong first 300m, before ramping up for a final push over the last 100m to claim bronze in 49.23.

Emma Ferguson collected gold in the 1500m with a powerful display in the U18 event. Ferguson was then joined by friend and fellow club member Abigail D’Sylva who powered through the competition to take gold in the U20 age group.

Lauren Hyde Cooling opened Team WA’s pole vaulting campaign claiming the U18 national title with a jump of 3.55m, before jumping an impressive 1.79 to claim silver in the U20 high jump.

As the week progressed, Jackson Hamilton continued his success in the U16 Para throw events with silver in the U16 Para Shot Put, before claiming gold in the U16 Para Javelin. Hamilton threw 33.74m, breaking his own U16 Australian F12 record.

Day four saw the young Parnov sisters live up to the family name with an impressive competition in the U14 long jump. Alla Parnov dominated the event; beating older sister Liz Parnov’s meet record of 3.50m by one centimetre, taking out the 2017 National title over twin sister Natasha Parnov , who collected silver.

Thomas Throssell delivered an immaculate race in the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.96 to dominate the field and take gold, while Riley Armstrong rounded out WA’s medal winners in the 400m Hurdles with a bronze in the U18 event.

In the girls U16 4x100m, WA got off to a fast start before running in to trouble on the back straight, pushing back into fourth position, however a blitzing run from UWAACs Sophie White saw WA move up into third, with White catching the Queensland runner in the last ten metres of the race.

Clare Gibson progressed comfortably through to the women’s high jump finals, while in the open 400m hurdle heats, Lyndsay Pekin and Timothy Throssell both cruised through to their respective finals, with Throssell taking out the bronze in a time of 51.92.

Day Seven saw Alla and Natasha Parnov back in action in the girls U15 Pole Vault. Alla jumped 3.30m to claim her second national pole vaulting title of 2017, while twin sister Natasha jumped 3.10m to collect silver. Older sister Elizabeth Parnov retained her 2016 National title in the open women’s pole vault with an impressive jump of 4.30m

In the closing day of competition, Sophie White powered through the line to produce the goods with gold in the U16 girls 4x100 relay. White ran an impressive final leg, to push WA up into first to clinch the win in a time 1:40.62,  before going on to collect her third 2017 Australian Athletics Championship in the U16 100m with a time of 11.85, with fellow club member Jenna Bain taking out the bronze.

Timothy Throssell took bronze in the 400m hurdles in a PB time, while Zoe Timmers and Clare Gibson took out second and third respectively in the open women's high jump in tough conditions. UWAAC President Lyndsay Pekin took bronze in the women’s 4x400m with a time of 3.42.52 while Sophie White rounded out an impressive campaign with a bronze in the open 4x100m with a time of 46.43

Media references

Mia Herriman

UWA Sport Pty Ltd

Marketing, Communications and Events

6488 4309

[email protected]

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