Hayward’s effort sets early bar
GOLD Coast Little Athletics are storming into the 2018 season after another flurry of impressive results at the Australian Cross Country Championships.
Held on the Sunshine Coast in conjunction with the Australian Road Walking Championships, Gold Coast sent six athletes to challenge alongside several Ashmore and Tweed competitors.
Katie Hayward, having not laced on her walking shoes since she returned from worlds more than four weeks ago, took out the women’s under-20 10km race.
”We just treated it like her first training session after the break,” coach Steve Langley said.
Hayward’s brother Kris raced in the under-16 boys 5km race, getting silver with a big personal best time.
Kris has been concentrating on middle distance running and futsal has not race walked since winning the Australian Little Athletics event in championship-record time in April.
Other Gold Coast athletes included Jayda Anderson (silver in the under-14 girls 3km) and 12-year-old Ashanti Heap (fourth in the under-14 girls 3km).
Both girls claimed big personal best times and joined Anika Clarke (Redlands) in the Queensland under-14 girls team which won all three team medals. Siblings Charlie and Chelsea Capps both landed bronze in the under-12 boys 2km and under-10 girls 1km events respectively.