Golden glow for maroon stars

Six Moreton Bay athletes helped Queensland win a host of national titles at the Coles Australian Little Athletics Championships.

Eliza Kelly, Jess Heap, Abby Lee-Archer, Kiara Waterman, Brock Miller and Tiarni Bitossi carried local hopes in Adelaide at the weekend.

Together they helped Queensland win the Under 15 Combined, Under 15 Individuals, Under 14 and Under 13 Adjusted championships, as well as second in the Under 13 Overall Points.

Brock, from Strathpine LAs, won bronze in the Under 15 Combined Events Heptathlon with a remarkable five personal bests from the 100m hurdles, 100m, 800m, long jump, high Jump, discus and javelin.

His most stunning performance came in the discus. Brock beat his pb of 41.24m by nine metres with a final throw of 50.50m.

He also won gold with the combined events Under 15 4x100m mixed relay team in 47.44 seconds to beat Victoria by just 0.13 seconds.

With Harry Osborne, Oliver Dunlop and Chole Taylor, Brock helped Queensland lift the Life Members Trophy for the team with the highest points in the U15 Combined Events section.

Jess Heap, from Deception Bay Little Athletics, was also in record-breaking form in the Under 14 Girls shot putt.

She took gold with a personal best of 12.70m which also broke the Australian Little Athletics Championships meeting record.

Tiarni Bitossi’s impressive first season of little athletics continued with the Strathpine club member bringing home two silver medals.

She was second in the Under 15 Girls 300m hurdles in 46.24 seconds and helped the Under 15 Girls 4x100m relay team to silver in 50.81 seconds.

Abby Lee-Archer, of Caboolture LA, was also celebrating after winning a silver medal with the Under 14 1000m Sprint Medley Relay team in 2 minutes 28.77 seconds.

Eliza Kelly, from Deception Bay LA, returned from Adelaide with her first national medal – bronze in the Under 15 Girls 1500m walk clocking 7 minutes 51.80 seconds.

Kiara Waterman, also from Deception Bay LA, said she loved being part of the Queensland team and “gave it her all and finished strong” to take fifth in the Under 14 Girls 1500m walk.

Ned Amorsen, from Strathpine LA, was selected for the Queensland team had to withdraw through injury.