Athletes set sights on gold as Country Athletics Championships get under way

More than 400 athletes will make their way to Northam for this year’s Country Athletics Championships as Mid West athletes hope to continue what has been a strong season. The championships will see athletes of all ages given a chance to compete, vying for top honours and an opportunity to achieve new personal bests. It also serves as a pathway to national representation with competitors Nevaeh Hill and Ella Batten going on to represent WA at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships following strong performances in last year’s event. Nine athletes from the Mid West Academy of Sport will be making the trip down, with coach Gary Clark confident of a strong performance from the group. “I’m confident we’ll get a few golds and break a few records,” he said. “They have been training really well in the lead-up and running PBs which would smash country records.” It’s a strong squad with Hill — fresh off her bronze in the 400m hurdles at the All Schools Track and Field Championships — expected to be a strong contender in the under-17 hurdles. Batten, who won silver at the WA heptathlon championships in December and is the reigning under-16 high jump state champion, is also likely to add to her medal count. Riley Heinrich is the only long-distance competitor from the group making the trip but is expected to do well in the under-16 middle-distance events. However, Clark also had high hopes for some of the younger members of the group. “Alyssa (Bergsma) has run really well and Trey Horobin and Shiloh O’Reilly are a good chance in the under-14’s events,” he said. They will compete in the sprints, hurdles and jumps respectively. There will also be plenty of action from outside the Mid West squad with other young competitors from the Geraldton Athletics Centre also competing. The Country Athletics Championships get under way on Friday afternoon and will run through until Sunday.