Canberra’s top high school athletes ready for ACT track and field championships

More than 800 students from 35 high schools across the ACT and surrounding regions will converge on the AIS Athletics Track in Bruce this Thursday for the two-day ACT Combined High Schools Sports Association track and field championships.

The meet, which has been held annually since the association was formed in 1975, serves as the primary selection event for the ACT team that will travel to Sydney in September for the Pacific School Games. The carnival is one of the biggest dates on the local school sport calendar, drawing athletes from as far afield as Queanbeyan, Yass and Cooma.

Two years ago, the ACT sent 47 student-athletes to the national championships and brought home eight medals, including three golds in the 400-metre hurdles, javelin and girls’ shot put. Last year’s team was similar in size, but organisers say the standard of qualifying times and distances this season has been noticeably sharper.

Events to watch

The 100-metre sprints on Thursday morning are expected to be the most tightly contested events, with several athletes from Canberra College and Lake Ginninderra College having posted times inside 11.5 seconds in recent school meets. The 800- and 1500-metre races on Friday afternoon will test endurance, particularly among Year 10 runners who have been training at the Stromlo Forest Park cross-country circuit.

Field events include the shot put, discus, long jump and high jump. The boys’ javelin competition on Friday has drawn particular interest after a student from Erindale College threw 58 metres at last month’s Southside Regional Carnival, just two metres shy of the ACT schools record set in 2019.

No records were broken at last year’s championships, but association president Melanie Chen told The Daily Canberra that the depth of talent across multiple disciplines this year gives her confidence a record could fall.

What happens next

The top three finishers in each event will be invited to trial for the ACT Combined High Schools team that will contest the Pacific School Games from September 21 to 27 at Sydney Olympic Park. Athletes who finish fourth or fifth may also be considered if they have met the qualifying standards in earlier regional meets.

Schools will be notified of team selections by August 14. Students who miss out on individual events can still be selected for relay teams based on times recorded at the championships.

The carnival runs from 9am to 4pm on both Thursday and Friday. Spectators are welcome at the AIS Athletics Track on Leverrier Street, Bruce. Parking is limited, so organisers are encouraging families to use the park-and-ride service from the Bruce CIT campus.