Students re-write the records

The lateness of the championships means athletes were older in each age division, providing an opportunity to re-write the record books and with less competitions during the year, athletes were fresher and ready to set personal best times.

Around 1700 of NSW's best teenage athletes entered the competition with plenty of local success and since the initial championship in 1936, the competition has unveiled a whole new array of emerging stars.

In the '90s we were watching the emergence of future stars like Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Jana Pittman, Matt Shirvington and Eloise Wellings.

In the '00s we saw athletes like Dani Stevens, Ryan Gregson, Fabrice Lapierre and James Nipperess emerge.

Over the last few years, many more future internationals have competed at the NSW Schools, including Michelle Jenneke, Ella Nelson, Brandon Starc, Steven Solomon, Angus Armstrong, Carley Thomas and Alex Hulley.

This years shooting star was Sylvania's Imogen Stewart who broke a 32-year-old record In the girls 15 years 3000m, formerly held by former Commonwealth Games finalist Suzy Walsham.

From the gun, Stewart set off at a cracking pace, running the first 1000m in three minutes, doing it solo and in windy conditions, as she chased the goal of a World Under-20 Championships standard.

"I didn't know if the conditions would allow for it as they were hot and windy," said Stewart. "But I totally blew up."

She finished in a winning time of 9:23.26, nearly one minute ahead of her nearest rival and faster than Walsham's 1988 mark,.

More strong tailwinds on the final day of the competition resulted in more records falling for Imogen.

In the 15-years 1500m, she easily ran the fastest ever time in the championships history, and also broke the NSW under-16 record.

The conditions were not ideal, but that was not going to stop Stewart as she set a six seconds PB time of 4:17.70 and snipped nearly three seconds from the race record and NSW under-16 record of 4:20.24 held by Catherine Miller.

"In the recent State 3000m I went through the first 1500m in 4:24 so I thought I could break my 1500m PB (4:23) which dates back to year six," said Stewart.

It was also a good result for 17-year-old Andrea Marshall, from Danebank School, who won the Under 17 Girls 100m Hurdles.

Andrea is coached by Michelle Douglas at the Barden Ridge Track and competes for the St. George District Athletic Club.

In the Boys Under 19 400m, Sylvania High School's Andrew Goschnik, won the NSW title over Leroy Reid in a time of 49.37 seconds, after finishing second in both the 100m and 200m races.

Just a handful of girls have run under seven minutes in the 2000m steeplechase in the history of these NSW championships, but Blakehurst 15-year-old, Alex Kalamvokis (PLC Sydney), came the closest for six years as she clocked a PB of 7:00.10, removing 10 seconds from the record.

Tammin Lampret also had a big championship winning three gold medals in the 12-year-old girls.

Coached by Jacinta Doyle, Tammin took the 100m and 200m double and followed that with a win in the Girls 80m Hurdles.

Jacinta also coached 13-year-old Ivy Boothroyd, who won the girls 400m and 800m, with her 800m time a meet record, which was set by Imogen Stewart (2:10.61) last year.

The 15 Years Girls 200m sprint was a terrific clash between Emma Lee and Olivia Rose Inkster.

Lee took the win in 24.37 (-1.3m/s wind) from Inkster (24.55), with both girls a second ahead of their competition.

"Considering COVID-19 and that I have been primarily running 100s, I ran well in my first 200m," said Lee.

"I trained all through the break. It was hard to focus and keep going as there wasn't any races to see how I was going, but I think I trained well considering."

Jessica Wardrobe, Theo Christian, Savannah Taylor, Lilli McPherson, Kurt Michael, Christopher Szekeres, Baxter Kitteringham, Bevan Lord, Oskar Oxenbury and Izobelle Louison-Roe also won NSW gold medals.