Sport
20 December, 2024
Horsham Little Athletics shine bright at Victoria State Relay Championships
Horsham Little Athletics win gold, bronze at relay championships.
Horsham's young athletes have achieved a historic first, winning Victoria State Relay Championship gold.
Held in Epping across December 14-15, the Horsham Little Athletics Centre's Jack Sawyer, Jett Hill, Jaxxon Ellis and Benji Jowett won the under-13 Swedish Relay.
The four later claimed bronze in the 4x200m relay.
Running for Western Country Region, Horsham's Georgia Foster and Asha Meek teamed up with Stawell's Darcy Venn and Warrnambool's Sophie Burrow to win bronze in the under-15s 4x200m relay.
Club president Peta Bond was full of praise for the young stars.
"Never in our club's 60-year history has Horsham won a medal for the relay," she said.
"I'm so proud of these kids."
A newer event in the athletics calendar, the Swedish Relay, involves four legs with increasing distances: 100m, 200m, 300m, and 400m.
"We've got some great athletes in Horsham at the moment," Bond said,
"This year, we have some of our highest numbers registered for a long time, with families travelling from all over the region.
"We have families from Nhill, Jeparit, Warracknabeal, Beulah, Dadswells Bridge... who work hard to do their best."
It's been a whirlwind few weeks for Sawyer, 11, who represented Horsham West at the School Sport Australia Track and Field Championships in Sydney.
He won bronze in the under-11 4x100m relay and came seventh in the combined event.
The 11-year-old also competed in the 1200m, where he made the final, and the 100m.
"I really enjoy running the 200m," Sawyer said.
"I think that's where my strengths are at the moment."
Sawyer, who's been in Little Athletics for the past five years, said he looked forward to competing at the region track and field championships in Ballarat in 2025.
Meanwhile, Foster, 14, is set to travel to New Zealand in January for the annual Colgate Games.
The three-day event sees young athletes from every Australian state compete against New Zealand's best.
"It's a big honour," Foster said.
"I'll contest the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay."
The 14-year-old said training with Little Athletics Junior Development Squad and engaging in a number of sports locally has kept her in top form.
"I play many sports each week that keep me active," she said.
"But the JDS training has given me an opportunity to grow as well
"I don't think either of us (Foster and Sawyer) could do this without the support of our parents and coaches."