Fast track to success
HELENSVALE High School sprinter Sally McLellan has age and experience on her side.
The 14-year-old recently returned from her third national athletics titles, picking up gold as the first runner in Queensland’s under-16 women’s 4x100m relay team which stopped the clock at 46.66 seconds, a national under-16 record by half a second. The time was also faster than the winning times recorded in the under-18 and under-20 age groups.
McLellan also won bronze in the 200m (24.92 sec) and placed fifth in the 100m (12.49) after clocking 12.39 to place second in her heat.
The blonde flyer placed second in her heat of the 90m hurdles in 13.12, the third fastest time, but fell over after hitting a hurdle in the final.
The results in Adelaide were promising for the Year 8 student who will get another crack at the under-16 age group at next year’s Australian
all schools championships.
Coached by Sharon Hannan, McLellan has been involved in athletics for most of her childhood after cutting her teeth at Helensvale Little Athletic Club before switching to Ashmore.
The teenager is in her last year of Little As and trains at the Gold Coast City International Athletics Centre at Griffith University.
Days after returning from the nationals, McLellan was athletics named in the Australian team to contest the Sydney Olympic Youth Festival in Sydney from January 10 to 14. McLellan was selected for the 200m and 4x100m relay.
Also named in the team was Trinity Lutheran College sprinter Charles Wall, 15, and Palm Beach Currumbin hammer thrower Kristy Mills, 16.
Wall, coached by Brian Johnston and a member of Mount Gravatt Athletics Club, competed against 17year-olds in the under-18 age group and won gold as a member of the Queensland under-18 men’s 4x100m relay (41.60). He finished 12th in the under-18 110m hurdles (15.10).
Mills, coached by Brett Green and a member of Griffith University Gold Coast Athletics Club, was named in the Olympic Youth Festival team after finishing sixth in the under-18 hammer and seventh in the under-20 hammer at the nationals in Adelaide.