SALAMANDER Bay’s Tomaree High School has unearthed another crop of State athletics champions.
Spearheaded by boom all-rounder Anna Taylor, the Port Stephens-based school turned in outstanding performances at last week’s NSW Combined High School Athletics Championships in Sydney.
Fifteen-year-old Taylor enhanced her reputation by claiming two gold medals and a bronze to stamp herself as one of the best young prospects in the state.
Competing in the Girls 15yrs division, Taylor won the 90m hurdles final in a personal best time of 13.18 sec and collected a bronze medal after finishing third in the long jump event with a personal best leap of 5.38m.
She capped a memorable meet when she anchored Tomaree High’s quicksilver 4 x 100m relay team to a maiden State title.
Combining with school colleagues Mia McDonald, Maebel Colley and Fern Cullimore, the emerging quartet ran a blistering personal best time of 51.18 sec to secure their first-ever NSW Relay Championship.
It was a double celebration for the talented trio of Colley, McDonald and Cullimore, who helped Tomaree High clinch the NSW All Schools Touch Football championship just seven days prior.
Highly regarded coach Bob Walkley told News Of The Area that all four sprinters showed ‘enormous potential’ and have worked hard to achieve success in the athletics sphere.
“They have strong work ethics and put in countless hours on the training track” he said.
“They’ve finally been rewarded with a State relay title after picking up a bronze at last year’s meet.”
Taylor will now compete in the 100m hurdles at the upcoming NSW All Schools Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre in a bid to qualify for the National Schools Athletics titles in Perth in December.
Rising field athlete Archer Todd claimed gold when he won the 15yrs Boys State javelin title with a throw of 52.93 m and finished fifth in the shot put (12.67m).
Other Tomaree High athletes to impress were Anna younger sister Jaimie Lee Taylor, who finished 10th in the Girls 13yrs javelin, and the 13yrs Boys 4 x 100m Relay team of Jayden Hotene, Calvin McKay, Hunter Travers and Ashton Terry, who clocked 52.27 sec to grab ninth spot and miss the final by just one place.
By Chris KARAS
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