The 40th Annual New Year Athletics Carnival was held at Dubbo on the weekend, and Mudgee’s young athletes shone at the regional event.
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Connor Whale was one of Mudgee’s competitors to leave Barden Park with a new carnival record under his belt – he set a new time of 3:00.4 as he won the Boys 12 800 Meter Dash.
Alesha and Jorja Bennetts both shone at the event, with both leaving their name on strong records.
Jorja set the new record for the Girls 10 60 Meter Hurdles, cutting the time down to 12.97 with her win.
Alesha took five records home with her, including impressive finishes in the Girls 12 100 Meter Dash with her 13.68 win, cutting the record down from 14.31.
Later in the day she took the Girls 12 400 Meter Dash with a 1:06.02 time, trimming the record by four seconds.
The Mudgee Mile Relay teams both set new records, with the boys setting 51.61 in the 15-17 4x25 Mile Relay, and the girls setting 1:03.09 in the 10-13 4x25 Mile Relay.
With the Country Championships being an Athletics Australia recognised event, athletes can use times to qualify for national and international events while also set state and national records.
Marathon runner and triathlete Jane Fardell, who competed in the World Championships marathon, was one of many left impressed by the efforts of the competitors and said it all bodes well for the Country Championships later this month.
“It’s just a great time for sport in general but it’s going to be good,” Fardell said of the January 20-22 meeting.
“It can be a real stepping stone to State and Australian events so the weekend was a good chance for a few to blow out the cobwebs and use it as a trial.
“There was some really decent athletes there on the weekend.”
Being a runner herself, Fardell was particularly impressed by those on the track.
“The times I saw, there were only a few in the race, were mind-blowing,” she said.
“They were only pushing themselves against a few so they can lift more when they’re up against faster people so the times were encouraging and it will be really exciting to see how much they can step it up.”
The weekend’s meeting was the 40th New Year Carnival and Fardell was full of praise for the time-honoured event.
“It’s such a staple on the calendar, even though numbers were a bit down, and it’s just a great event,” she said.
Athletes interested in registering for competitions can visit the Athletics NSW website to get information, with regos open until Monday.