Athletes ready to take on raiders
IT will be the largest contingent of athletes to ever compete at the Athletics North Queensland championships.
But there will be a group of North Queensland’s best homegrown talents aiming to stand out among the field.
These are the six top North Queensland athletes to watch at this weekend’s ANQ Championships. to take out the A N Q Championships’ blue-ribbon event for the fifth straight year when he hits the track. The Australian relay team member narrowly missed out on a spot at Tokyo earlier this year but used his time off the track to rest his body and recover from a slew of injuries.
Doran is only at the start of his year of competitions, with a view to the World Championships and Commonwealth Games next year.
While he admitted he was a long way from his best, the 21-year-old sprinter will not be taking it easy against what is expected to be a hot 100m open field.
ZOE CHESTER
15Y 100m, 15Y 200m, 15Y long jump, 15Y triple jump, Open triple jump
THE 15-year-old jumps specialist is an athlete on the cusp of breaking through to the national stage.
Chester has huge potential, and it is understood Athletics North Queensland has earmarked her to potentially fly the flag for Australia at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
For now though Chester and her coach Megan MineM hane have taken a stra- tegic approach to her r development on the e track.
The Annandale e Christian College e sports captain also had d a one-on-one with h Australian Olympic medallist Ash Moloney last week, which has given her a boost in time for the championships.
KHOLAN HAYES
U18 triple jump, U18 100m, U18 200m, U18 400m, U18 javelin, U18 long jump, Open triple jump
THE teenage all-rounder has emerged as an early favourite in the under-18s triple jump and long jump, but he won’t be limited to just the sand pit.
A member at North Star Athletics Club, Hayes has competed at junior nationals for triple jump and the 100m sprints, but will also take on the 200m, 400m and javelin in Townsville this weekend. The 16-year-old (left) is walking in the well-worn athletics shoes s of his father Kholan Hayes Snr, who will compete in the masters’ events at the Athletics North Queensland Championships.
Hayes has proven he is a solid competitor at the junior level, but there is plenty of upside as he keeps growing and developing his power.
OLLIE BOLTZ
U18 800m, U18 1500m, U18 3000m
One of the most promising distance runners coming out of the Far North, Ollie Boltz will take on three events in Townsville – and could very well walk away with three gold medals.
He will compete in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m at the NQ Championships, and while the 16-year-old may give up some experience, his previous form suggests he could more than n match his opponents.
He became the Cairns Parkrun record holder in April, then n cut 20 seconds off that time in July when he completed the 5km course in 14mins 57sec.
Boltz is the son of Great Britain Olympian Jill (nee Hunter), who has run the Pace Project, a distance running group based in Cairns, for the past decade.
CARLOS CLERMONT
U18 triple jump, U18 100m, U18 200m, U18 long jump
An underrated but supremely gifted sprinter, Carlos Clermont (below) is ready to make another statement at the NQ Championships. Clermont won an Oceania Championships gold medal as part of the 4x100m Regional Australia team in 2019 as a 15year-old, when he proved he wasn’t just making up the numbers with his pace. He competed at the Australian A Athletics Championships in Sydney in April, reaching the final in both the long and triple jump competitions, c and d will be b out to add regional gional titles titl to his medal cabinet. et. He has recently moved ed to Brisbane to take up an aththletics scholarship but will ill represent his home town. n.
LIAM GILBERT U20 Decathlon
The reigning Australian Under-20s decathlon champion is preparing for his last hurrah in the age
group, with the Cairns athlete eyeing a strong performance at Townsville to improve his world ranking.
Liam Gilbert has long dominated the multi-discipline event throughout his years in the junior ranks, winning numerous regional, state and national titles.
He picked up gold at the Australian Athletics Championships in April, winning five disciplines, and while he qualified for the world titles in Kenya he was unable to travel to it.