Athletes competed in blustery conditions at Caledonian Park; the course was quite wet in patches and slippery on the downhill finish.
With a large contingent of Under 9 & 10 athletes at the State Champs, a small field contested the 1500m course. Ballarat’s Archer Morris relished the opportunity to control the race and led from start to finish. Returning from injury, Melton’s Harry Wark crossed the line in 2nd place with Sam Ainsworth (BM) the 3rd placed Under 9 athlete. Ayla Preddy (Melt) finished ahead of teammate Bebe Williams with Bacchus Marsh’s Scarlett Wake in 3rd place.
In the Open Age 3km event Melton athletes Jujhar Tamber and Mia Preddy were the clear winners for the boys/girls category.
The Under 6 athletes competed over their usual 500 metres. While these young eager athletes anticipated the start, a recall was required to get the race underway. After a quick start, athletes settled into their run and all produced great results. The top 3 placegetters were awarded to Judy Brody-Wall (BM), Sahib Cheema (Melt) and Jack Ainsworth (BM) while Zyah Cameron (Melt) finish 1st for the girls with Millicent Johansen (BM) in 2nd place.
The final event for the morning saw the Under 7 & 8 athletes racing over a 1km loop. Melton’s Chayse Johnson ran a well-controlled race, sitting in on the leaders, prior to heading along the gravel path, where he was able to pull away from the group and claim a well-deserved victory. George Jacobson (BM) and Fletcher Reid (Melt) took the minor placings. Arijana Brown (BM) was the first girl across the finish line.
Next Saturday’s competition will be held at Bullengarook Reserve. Athletes should arrive before 10.15am to walk the course. First event 10.30am.
