Amaya's record-breaking gold rush

Samford Valley teenager Amaya Mearns, one of Queensland’s rising sprint stars, has smashed a host of Queensland and Australian athletics records.

The 15-year-old currently holds 11 state and national best times, is world ranked 11 for the women’s under 18 200m and 37th over 100m.

In three remarkable months, the Year 10 St Paul’s School, Bald Hills student has stepped onto the podium to collect 13 gold medals, three silver and one bronze.

Mearns also clocked her first sub-24 second 200m with 23.97 at the Australian Junior Championships in April and has lowered her personal best (pb) by more than two seconds in two years.

This followed a 100m pb of 11.77 seconds earlier this year. In less than 18 months, she has taken close to a second off her best time in the shorter sprint.

As part of the Queensland Women’s Under 16 4x100m relay team, see video, Mearns helped set a national record of 46.24 seconds in winning gold at the Australian Junior Championships.

With Thewbelle Philp, Charlee Vincent and Lucy Dyson, she shaved 0.01 of a second off the previous best set by Sally Pearson, Jacinta Boyd, Michelle Cutmore and Rebecca Reuter.

Mearns also helped Queensland win the women’s under 16 200m relay in a state record; won silver with 5.52m in the long jump; 100m bronze in 11.96 seconds and was fifth in the heptathlon.

Competing above her age group at Under 20 level in the Australian Senior Championships, Mearns won silver in the 100m Open women’s relay, was seventh in the 200m and ninth in 100m.

At the Little Athletics Australia Championships, Mearns broke her own 200m Little A’s record and was co-captain of Queensland.

She took gold with the state’s 15 Years male/female team as winners of the Life Members Trophy for the highest points total in the Australian Combined Events Championship (Heptathlon).

There was also gold with the 15 years male/female 4x100m relay team and silver in the individual 15 years women’s heptathlon with 4803 points.

It was gold all the way at the Queensland Championships winning the 200m in 24.11 seconds, 100m in 11.91 seconds, long jump with 5.52m and triple jump with a leap of 11.52m.

The gold rush continued at the Queensland Little Athletics Championships in Townsville where Mearns, a member of Arana Little Athletics won the 200m in a state record 24.63 seconds.

She also won the 100m in 11.91 seconds, an Australian and Queensland Little As 15 years record, long jump with 5.42m and triple jump 10.99m.

To complete a remarkable track and field season, Mearns’ coach Andrew Iselin was named junior coach of the year by Athletics Australia. Her jump coach is Anna Harvey.