The Mount Isa Athletics Club’s final competition for 2017 proved to be yet another successful trip to Townsville for the North Queensland Athletics Championships.
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The team of 38, which is more than one third of the clubs total registered athletes for the season stepped up returning home with one equal and two championship records, the junior girl age champion, bettered 14 Isa club records, had 100 top 3 placings, 44 first, 37 second and 19 thirds as well as achieving 102 personal bests (PBs) from 295 events which equates to a PB in about every third event.
Twelve-year-old Kadea O’Donnell was a little shocked to learn of her Junior Age Champion success. Competing in no less than 11 events Kadea’s one gold and four bronze medals put her in good stead for the award.
Always a fierce competitor she accomplished eight and one equal personal bests on her way to a memorable weekend.
Fellow 12-year-old Rico Waerea seems to be stuck on his 1.90m PB in Pole Vault which was still enough for him to share the Championship record for the event with fellow Isa athlete Denzil Perkins.
Sister to Rico, Breanna Waerea, claimed herself yet another North Queensland (NQ) record when she pumped out a 44.50m personal best in Hammer Throw in the 15 years women’s event.
Just to prove it was no fluke she backed it up with another 44m throw in the ensuing throws.
Master athlete Ken Dickson and fellow athlete Andrew Ford were both eyeing off the 50-54 years Men’s Throws pentathlon record which both men were capable of surpassing but only the victor could claim.
Dickson had a poor start in the first event, Hammer throw and thought he may have blown his opportunity but with a PB in Shot Put and reasonable results in the remaining events he managed to come home with the Gold and the NQ record finishing with 2629 points.
In all there were 14 Mount Isa club records broken and two new ones created by the team while in Townsville.
On the track Hughie Dickinson-Jones bettered the 11 boys 3000m to 14m 58.76 seconds, 12-year-old Corey Stewart took a full three minutes off his age groups 3000m running a time of 12m 46.99s.
Mel Butler endured the gruelling 3000m Race Walk to create a new club time of 24m 32.10s while Barb Baker bettered her 1500m Walk finishing in 13m 21.20s.
David Scott had his best 1500m run in the last four years but was over shadowed by son Josh who took the under 20 1500m record down to 5m 33.02s.
The Butlers must revel in the more punishing events as Mel’s brother Dan improved on his 400m Hurdle time from earlier in the season running 68.77 seconds.
The only club sprint record went to Conor Bowden who has obviously recovered from his hamstring injury completing the 200m in a blistering 23.56s.
The jumpers were not to be left out with Josh Scott increasing the under 20 Pole Vault to 2.40m and James Stewart scored a 30-34 years double with heights of 2.50m in Pole and 1.54m in High Jump.
Also noteworthy was that James narrowly missed the 200m record by a mere 1/100th of a second.
The rest of the club records went to the weighted throws which saw Ken Dickson push his 50-54 years Shot Put out to 10.59m but that was no match for 15-year-old Breanna Waerea’s 11.17m.
Breanna also claimed herself the hammer record launching her 3kg out to 44.50m.
Other Hammer records went to Lewis McCoy (12) 21.79m and under 20 Mitch Hujanen 39.37m.
It was not all about the records though, the NQ champs has always been a hot bed of PB’s every time the Isa crew attend.
Ten of the 38 attending athletes accomplished a 50 per cent or better PB average with a couple even pushing towards double figures.
Top performers were Sienna Hilton with 5 from 7, Lewis McCoy with 4 from 4, Kadea O’Donnell with 8 and an from 11, Sienna TeWani with 8 from 9, Dean English with 5 from 6, Jayden Boshoff with1 from 2, Tekisha Simpson with5 from 10, Conor Bowden with 3 from 5, Simona Reynolds with 3 from 4 and Barb Baker with 6 from 10.
Athletics North Queensland had their best turnout to date of Multi-Eventers with numbers nearing 50.
The Isa club made up a fair chunk of the number suppling five Decathletes, two Heptathletes and an Octathlete
The last thing on the Athletics club calendar is the annual trophy presentation where all the great performances of 2017 will be rewarded.
The event will be held on October 29 at the Good Shepherds Catholic College’s Lumen Christie Centre. Presentations will kick off at 2pm