Perth, WA – April 4th–13th, 2025
Today, the championships kicked off in overcast conditions, with headwinds of -3.4 facing competitors making their way down the 100m straight. This was followed by lightning, thunder and rain, which cleared in readiness for the midday start of the U18M 800m heats. Did someone forget to let the sun out? We were expecting warmer conditions over here.
Day 1 Wrap – Friday 4th April
Only two team members raced today, and after some withdrawals and the shuffling of the four heats into three, we found our own Tom Lindeman and Hugo Stubbs drawn together in Heat 2. Both making their first appearance at the nationals, excitement and some nervousness greeted them as they made their way out onto a super bouncy and fast deck.
Hugo got a quick start and was in the front group after 100m as they bunched together, with Tom settling nicely at the back—falling asleep and letting others do all the work. Coming down the home straight, Hugo found himself four wide as a big pack approached the first lap. Crossing the line in the top six, he unfortunately wasn’t able to sustain his efforts after an interrupted lead-in. Gritting his teeth, he battled on at the back and finished the race without giving in, as Tom weaved his way through the pack—very Melbourne Cup-like—and brought it home to finish top six, happy with his time just outside his PB.
It was great to see both boys embrace at the end of the race and acknowledge their respective efforts after what has been a long and successful season. For Hugo, it’s time to hang up the spikes, have a few weeks’ rest, and see some quokkas while cheering on the rest of the team over the coming ten days. Tom has the first one out of the way and can now enjoy two days’ rest before lining up in his favourite event on Monday afternoon—the 1500m—before family time at Rotto and a trip down south to explore WA’s sandy beaches.
Day 2 tomorrow—we look forward to seeing two of our U14M runners hit the track over the 200m and 800m. Check the timetable for times to view on 7Plus.
Day 2 Wrap – Saturday 5th April
Well, this was more like it. Waking up with temperatures slated for 30 degrees this afternoon, it was a warm 28 degrees with windy conditions that settled as the day progressed.
Jayden Millie kicked off the day in Heat 2 of the U14M 200m, starting from lane 2. He got a good start and, after the first 100m, hit the straight in a line of three, with one runner clearly out in front. Faced with a slight headwind, Jayden hit the line in fourth with a time just 0.30 outside his PB and only 0.07 off making the final. A nice start to his championships, with a PB as he works his way into the competition, with the 90m hurdles and 400m still to come on Monday.
Early in the afternoon, we had an athlete representing NSW, having got his qualifier while running for Knox, Sydney, before migrating south with his family and joining the school with his older brother in Term 1 this year. John B warmed into the U14M 800m race, made his move in the second lap and came home strong. He set a new PB by 0.39 seconds, with a negative split to go with it—a great result and first opportunity at the Nationals. Hopefully, we’ll see him wearing the OSAC and Victorian colours in 12 months’ time.
Day 3 tomorrow—we’ll see our first field competitor hit the circle in the discus final, two female athletes have their first starts of the championships, and the first finals appearance on the track for one of our team in the 800m.
Day 3 Wrap – Sunday 6th April
Perth weather finally arrived, with the sun shining early and sunscreen needed from the first event.
Kicking the team off today, we headed outside the main stadium to McGillivray Oval to watch Lachie Gumley launch the 1.5kg discus. With some big boys in the field and season bests clearing 50m, we were eager to see what Lachie could produce. And deliver he did—his first throw landed at 42.54m, marking a 3.35m PB and making a statement early.
Goal one achieved, he set his sights on making his first discus final. A foul on his second throw had him sitting precariously in 7th place (top eight qualify), with one throw remaining. His final qualifying throw looked to be his biggest yet, but it just sailed outside the line for another foul. Still, his earlier effort was enough to advance him to the final.
With many competitors fouling or throwing below their lead-up form, the final was tight. Lachie’s last attempt went into the net, leaving him 7th overall—a great result, making the final and earning a PB, with his preferred event, the pole vault, still to come.
Next up, our dual athlete, top Vic swimmer and gun 400m runner Gabby King lined up for her second national championships in the U18W 400m. Starting from lane 9, it was always going to be tough to keep the inside runners at bay. A slower start out of the blocks saw her Vic teammate pull up alongside her, but Gabby dug in and held her position. With 150m to go, she was right in the mix. The early effort caught up with her, and she finished with a time just outside her PB. Another nationals campaign completed, she returns to Melbourne in the morning before jetting off to Queensland to represent Victoria in swimming next week. Great season, Gabby, and best of luck in the pool.
New to the club this season, Alex Latief lined up in the heats of the U17W 100m hurdles. There’s not much room for error in a race like this, but Alex cleared every flight cleanly and finished fifth, setting a new PB. The four girls ahead of her also set PBs, so it was clearly a fast track with the sun shining. Finishing top 10 at nationals and just one place outside the final is something to be proud of. Well done Alex—a great season, and we hope you’ve enjoyed your first year with the club.
Last out on the track this afternoon was James Hall, lining up in the U13M 800m final. With the fastest seed time among the finalists, all eyes were on James to see if he could handle the pressure.
Turns out he could. Even the commentator decided James needed a nickname and dubbed him “Jimmy”. After 100m, he sent a clear message—“come and get me”—and quickly opened up a 20-metre lead. He passed through the first lap in the low 62s and never let up, extending his lead even further before flying down the final straight to set a new PB and championship record of 2:05.18. National Champion—and the first medallist from OSAC. What a brilliant run, with the 400m and 1500m still to come.
With three days done, tonight offers a chance for athletes and families to enjoy a quick informal dinner before getting some well-earned rest. Only two days to go in the junior championships—and we’ve all earned it.
Old Scotch Athletic Club is incredibly proud of our 16 athletes who have qualified to compete at the 2025 Australian Athletics Championships. The club has received generous support this year via a grant from the Old Scotch Collegians Association (OSCA). Their generosity has enabled us to continue the important tradition of supporting our athletes with a $200 contribution each towards their tour expenses. We are immensely grateful and thank OSCA for their support.
Qualifying athletes in 2025:
James Hall
Jayden Millie
Lachie Gumley
Hugo Stubbs
Tom Lindeman
Bart Leeton
Luke Bodle
Conor Sullivan
Pat Kroschel
Tom Roach
Phoebe Grant
Alex Latief
Will Katic
Gabby King
Aj Merry
Ed Beischer
Good luck to you all.
Day 4 Wrap – Monday 7th April
Perfect one day and even better the next. Perth weather has finally kicked in, and with temps reaching the high 20s, the sun had a sting in its tail today as plenty of action unfolded around the track.
Our second-youngest team member had a busy day with two events. Jayden Millie kicked off mid-morning in the 400m heats and delivered, coming in second to earn a big Q for tomorrow’s final. He also dropped 2.08 seconds off his PB – massive effort.
Finding some shelter before his next race four hours later, Jayden lined up in the 90m hurdles, ready to shake out any lactic from the 400m. A slower start than he hoped made an automatic qualifier look tough, but steady form through the middle saw two competitors clip hurdles and hit the deck, opening a gap for Jayden to pounce. He crossed the line in second place with a 0.33-second PB and automatic qualification into the final. A huge day for the young man, who now earns a well-deserved rest ahead of two finals tomorrow at 12:10pm and 2:15pm AWST. Don’t miss it on the live stream.
Our final event of the day was the U18M 1500m, where Bart Leeton and Tom Lindeman hit the track. Bart, fresh from the Darwin footy fields, and Tom, rested after a solid Day 1 800m, had very different race plans. On paper, it was a race for second and third, with last year’s winner L. Chis entering with an eight-second buffer over the field and already claiming the 800m earlier in the meet.
True to form, Bart went out hard and stuck with the top three while Tom ran a composed race from the rear. Chis made his move at the 450m mark, broke the race open, and was never challenged again. The battle for second came down to the wire, with Bart digging deep to hold off the pack before being passed in the final 50m, finishing third – just 0.6 off his PB. A terrific effort. Tom, showing the benefits of his strength and patience, worked his way through the field and came home in 10th. For a first nationals and a top-10 finish, that’s a brilliant result. Well done to both boys.
There was strong OSAC support around the track today for Jayden, Bart and Tom, with thanks to the Latief, Gumley, Hall, and Stubbs families, as well as the Millies, Leetons and Lindemans, for helping make it feel like a home meet.
Wednesday marks Day 5 and the final day of the Junior Championships, with plenty of finals ahead: U18M 3000m, U17M Pole Vault, U14M 400m and 90m Hurdles, and the U13M 1500m.
Day 5 Wrap – Tuesday 8th April
Australian National Championships
Here we are, Tuesday 8th April – the last day of the Junior Championships – and there was still plenty for our boys to attack.
Conditions were very still and a warm 26 degrees at 9am as Luke Bodle, making his debut, and Bart Leeton lined up together in the U18M 3000m. The race began at a crawl, with a lead group of 10 forming over the first few laps. As the pace lifted, the field strung out, and Luke lost touch with the front group but held a solid rhythm in the humid conditions. Up front, it was all eyes on the top four – including the three race favourites.
With 400m to go, Bart – somehow finding the energy after Monday’s 1500m – surged and broke 5–10m clear. Catching the others off guard, he went again and powered home to take a commanding win in 8:31.42, letting out a well-earned roar as he crossed the line. Luke found a second wind in the final 800m and finished 15th – a great result in tough conditions. “Pretty hot out there,” he said after the race, “Glad I ran early and not in three hours.” What a way to start the day.
Then it was a dash to the grandstand to watch Lachlan Gumley defend his U17M Pole Vault title. The bar opened at 2.80m, with Lachy joining in at 3.55m, clearing it on his first attempt and taking an early lead. He stumbled at 3.70m, missing twice before finding his form to clear it on his third try. He then cleared 3.82m first up and 3.92m on his second, staying in the hunt as his Queensland rival remained clean. The bar jumped to 4.02m, and with the crowd and commentators fully engaged, Lachy nailed it first go, sending the stand into raptures. His Queensland competitor couldn’t handle the pressure and missed all three attempts, meaning Lachlan was crowned National Champion for the second straight year – with a PB to boot. He gave 4.12m a crack, just grazing the bar on his third attempt. That height will no doubt be a target in the near future.
By lunchtime, your on-the-ground correspondent was on the ferry to Rottnest Island, so details are a little sketchy from here.
Jayden Millie lined up in his first final of the day – the U14M 400m – out in lane 9, making it a tough ask. He was overtaken early by a runner from lane 8, who went on to win, but Jayden held his form to finish fifth and notch another PB. That’s two PBs from two 400m races, improving his seed time by 2.33 seconds. After a short break, he was back on the line for the U14M 90m Hurdles and did it again – another PB and a sixth-place finish, shaving off 0.73 seconds. With two finals done, that would’ve been a great end to his meet – but based on those performances, he was called in for the 4x100m relay and ran third leg as Victoria finished fourth. A brilliant few days for Jayden and huge potential for the seasons to come.
Next up was James Hall in the U13M 1500m. Anyone who’s seen him run knows he only has one gear: fast. Watching the live stream, James launched out of the blocks like he was in a 100m sprint, putting a huge gap into the field early. And that was that. The commentators – now calling him “Jimmy” – couldn’t believe it as he maintained his speed the entire race, crossing in 4:11.81 for a 10-second PB, new Championship Record, and National Title. Dominant.
Finally, in the U14M 1500m, we had John Brevulis, representing NSW after running for Knox last year and joining the school at the start of Term 1. NSW stacked the field with 10 runners out of 19, including six in the front pack. John looked comfortable in that lead group, sticking with the pace as others dropped off. He finished 12th overall, with a new PB and only one Victorian ahead of him – a great result and a promising sign that we’ll see him donning the Big V next year and joining the OSAC squad next season.
What a group of talented middle-distance runners we have at the club. Today is a well-earned rest day – and I reckon we all need it – before we kick off Day 1 of the Senior Championships on Thursday, with six athletes ready to go.
Day 1 – Thursday 10th April Recap
Open, U20 & U20MC Australian National Athletics Championships
The weather just keeps getting better in Perth as we kicked off Day 1 of the Senior Open, U20 and U20MC Championships.
There were a few changes to the team schedule, so let’s get those out of the way. After much discussion with his coach, Conor Sullivan decided to scratch from the U20M 5000m to save his legs for the 3000m steeple on Friday. Pat Kroschel, who was set to compete in the U20M 200m and 400m – and was a good chance for a relay call-up – unfortunately picked up a hamstring injury in his final training session and is out. To his credit, Pat still made the trip to Perth, was in good spirits at dinner, and is supporting the OSAC crew despite the disappointment. It’s a real shame – he’s been flying lately – but this will no doubt fuel his return in the APS season and back into Vic colours next year.
First up for OSAC today was Tom Roach in the U20MC Shot Put. At just 16 years old, competing against older and bigger athletes, it was always going to be a challenge – but Tom wasn’t phased. He threw past his PB three out of four times and got his championships off to a fantastic start. A brilliant confidence booster with five more events to come.
The Open Men’s 1500m was one of the more stacked events on the program, with world-class athletes from Australia and the US college system in the mix. Ed Beischer, coming off a third place at the recent Victorian Championships, was right in the hunt early, sitting fourth through 300m and still fifth at 700m. He moved off the rail to avoid being boxed in as the pace lifted. At the bell, Ed was in seventh and held on to finish ninth, just a few seconds off his PB. In this kind of field, that’s a massive effort. Well done Ed – no mean feat going up against athletes of this calibre.
Last on track for Day 1 was Will Katic, returning after racing here last year, keen to go one better and make the final. With only heat winners and the next fastest four advancing, it was always going to be tight. Will was drawn in heat 2 and took control early, leading through to the 500m mark before being passed by two fellow Victorians. He dug deep to hold third, running a new PB of 1:51.59. It was a nervous wait, but with the winner of heat 3 being from New Zealand, the final expanded to nine runners – and Will was in. Great result – not only a PB but also a shot at the final. By the way, his time would’ve earned him silver at last year’s nationals. Strap in for a fast one tomorrow night.
A great start to the second phase of the championships.
Day 2 – Friday 11th April Recap
Open, U20 & U20MC Australian National Athletics Championships
It was a scorcher today. The sun had real bite and there wasn’t a breath of wind – tough conditions for racing, so full credit to all the athletes giving it their all.
First up for OSAC was Tom Roach with the javelin. Refuelled and rehydrated after team dinner the night before, Tom hit the low 10-metre range consistently across his first five throws. On his final attempt, he opened up the shoulders and sent it flying to 12.06m – a massive PB, nearly two metres further than anything he’d thrown earlier in the day and 60cm better than his previous best. That’s what it’s all about. The smile said it all.
The U20M 3000m Steeplechase had its start time changed a few weeks back, shifted to 12:15pm – the hottest part of the day. This made things tough for Conor Sullivan and AJ Merry, and was especially disappointing for Conor, whose dad and sister flew over to watch him in the 5000m the day before and had flights booked home Friday morning. With Conor scratching from the 5000m, they missed seeing him race. Hopefully, the support from the OSAC crew helped – Pat K, the Roach and Stubbs families, and the local Merry clan were all out in force.
As expected, the race started slowly in the heat. A lead pack of four broke away early, while Conor and AJ settled in around 5th to 10th. They worked together well, sharing the pace and gradually reeling in a fading competitor. With 600m to go, Conor began to edge away and made his move. He drew level with a Queenslander at the final water jump and kicked home hard to grab 5th, while AJ held his ground for a gritty 7th. Both boys ran PBs and were the first two Victorians across the line – an awesome result in brutal conditions.
After the race, AJ was sprinting off – not for a cooldown, but to make the ferry with his family for some well-earned rest at Rottnest Island. Conor, meanwhile, was spotted tucking into three spring rolls and a slow-cooked beef and rice dish while waiting for his flight to Tasmania, where he and his family are taking on the Overland Track. That’s six days and 65km through Cradle Mountain. Incredible. Well done to both lads – a brilliant way to end the season.
Back on the track later in the day was Tom Roach again, this time in the U20MC 200m. Starting from lane 4 in sweltering conditions, Tom gave it everything but was just outside his PB. He crossed the line with arms raised – a solid run in brutal heat. Afterwards, he told his mum he was “done for the day” and wisely decided to pull out of the long jump. Three events in 24 hours is a big ask, so he headed back to the hotel to rest up for Saturday’s discus.
Closing out the day was Will Katic in the U20 800m final. The rain started to fall just as the athletes made their way to the track – far better racing conditions than the midday heat. From lane 1, Will got a cracking start and positioned himself in the top three early. The field bunched up after 300m and he crossed the bell in 5th or 6th before the pace lifted. With 250m to go, Will kicked again and held strong to the line, finishing 7th in a new PB of 1:51.13. After the race, Will said it was the best race he’s ever been a part of – with a rocking grandstand and Bruce McAvaney commentating, what more could you want? Huge season, Will – and apparently, as Dad said, all the chocolate from Coles is now yours. Fully deserved.
We’re now down to just one athlete for the final two days of the championships. Let’s get behind Tom Roach for his last two events – send him some love and tune in on 7Plus if you can.
Day 3 – Saturday 12th April Recap
Open, U20 & U20MC Australian National Championships
The media were calling it “Super Saturday” – and for good reason. Our very own Tom Roach was back in action in the discus and delivered a standout performance.
Out of his five legal throws (the sixth was a foul), Tom managed four personal bests. His final legal throw was a massive 18.48 metres – a huge effort and a sign of just how well he’s rising to the challenge of competing against older and stronger athletes.
Great work Tom – we hope it all comes together for your final event on Sunday. Keep smiling – it’s clear you’re loving every minute of it out there.
Day 4 – Sunday 13th April Recap
Open, U20 & U20MC Australian National Athletics Championships
The final day of the championships, and this is where the magic happened over the past 10 days.
Our last event featured our final OSAC competitor, Tom Roach, back on track for the U20MC 100m. After a well-earned rest the previous afternoon, Tom stepped up to the start line fresh and ready. He got out cleanly, hit his stride quickly, and powered down the track to clock a time of 19.05 – another personal best.
That makes 11 PBs across five events for Tom. While he didn’t make the podium, both the club and his family couldn’t be prouder of his efforts. What a brilliant championship campaign – Tom continues to go from strength to strength.
Ten days of competition, three National Champions, a bronze medal, a stack of PBs, and some brilliant individual efforts – we’ve seen it all. There were injuries, breakthroughs, and plenty of moments to celebrate. As a club, we’ve punched well above our weight.
It’s been a massive team effort from athletes, parents, and families, and the support and camaraderie across the T&F community has been second to none. We can’t wait to see what we can achieve next season.
Time now to say farewell to Perth and look forward to celebrating a huge year at our annual awards night next month.
