We have witnessed fabulous results for Jaylah Hancock-Cameron following the Australian cross country championships that were held in Dapto on 26/8/17, two weeks on from the Australian All Schools that were held in Tasmania. Now we see brilliant results from the CHS State Athletics that were held in Homebush from 6/9 to 8/9 last week.
In XCOUNTRY Jaylah Hancock- Cameron from Broulee
*Gained selection for the NSW team u/ 16 girls for this event, placing a silver individual and silver for being a part of the NSW team.
Jaylah ran a relaxed, comfortable 4km race, she got herself in good position, stayed composed throughout the race and came through for a very strong finish gaining number 2 in Australia Jaylah reflects that there were lots of lessons learnt from her race in Tasmania, which made for a better result and for the one that really counted.
Jaylah's consistency throughout the season enabled her to achieve a 30 odd seconds difference between being first place in the State at the beginning of the season to within 2 seconds at the end of the season Jaylah has also equalled her 4km success, placing second earlier in the year in her 800 and 1500 mtr on track
Training mate Asha Martin, also gained selection for the u/18 girls NSW team, placing 9th, receiving a bronze medal for being a part of a successful NSW team. Asha overcame some challenges at the beginning of her cross country season mainly the lack of fitness after being overseas for a couple of weeks. With hard work, determination and most importantly her self belief every race lead into the Australian champs where she continued to gain confidence and great results. Asha ran a very strong 4km race in Dapto, holding pace throughout her race, leaving nothing on the track and running herself into the top 10 in Australia. An amazing result for an athlete who only just over 12 mths ago turned her passion for running into competitive running. Local runner Rumer Williams also gained selection for NSW to compete as an athlete in the championships finding out on the day that she was also to compete as a part of the NSW team under 20s. Gaining 19th and being a part of a gold medal winning NSW team Rumer ran a solid 6km race and with the effort she put in on the day ran into the top 20 in Australia. Rumer was lucky enough this year to run a full season without injury and to have successfully finished in the top 20.
Both Jaylah and Asha improved on their Australian All Schools performances. Jaylah from 5th to second, Asha the biggest improver from 20th down to 9th placing, going up against the an exceptional level of competition.
Above: Jaylah Hancock- Cameron
NSW Combined High Schools (CHS)
With cross country finished for the season, Jaylah and Asha had to make the transition to track. Both girls had outstanding results in last week's CHS State Championships. Jaylah claimed gold in both 800 and 1500 mtr events. Not only did Jaylah claim the gold she also broke the NSW state record set in 2009 with a gutsy run, in gale force winds in her 800 mtr event in a time of 2.10.43 just off her personal best time at the beginning of her track season, only to back up the following day to claim victory in her 1500 mtr event running in similar conditions to the day before, showing her strength in the windy conditions and bettering herself on last years silver medal performance to become CHS state champion. Asha, also starting her track campaign on a positive, gained a bronze in her 3km event and a personal best time resulting in being CHS state champion for her 1500 mtr event Asha is showing some real potential for the upcoming season. With a little more race experience and a better understanding of herself as an athlete her 3km event shows potential for the upcoming track season. Back on track for her 1500m Asha finished a very strong first place gaining her first state championship title in her very short running career. These results are made possible by the girls commitment too their hard work and training but also to the fact that they also have two amazing coaches behind them in Andae Kalemusic as their Middle distance coach and Beth Croft as their strength coach. The combination of these dedicated women are the reason for not only Jaylah and Asha's success, but all the athletes that are lucky enough to be training under their guidance.
Click for larger image and slideshow
