A 16-year-old schoolgirl from Sydney has broken Olympic champion Sally Pearson’s under-18 record at the national junior athletics championships.
The precociously talented Delta Amidzovski, who was the youngest athlete at the world juniors last year, broke the record of one of Australia’s greatest ever athletes when she ran 13.02 seconds for the 100-metre hurdles, beating Pearson’s 2003 junior record by 0.12s.
Amidzovski also won the national junior long jump title on Saturday.
Delta Amidzovski en route to breaking her idol, Sally Pearson’s, record. Credit: David Tarbotton
It was a weekend in which Australia unearthed two track stars of the future, with 15-year-old Gout Gout winning the under-18 sprint double. Setting a new national record for the 200 metres, he is Australia’s fastest ever junior over the distance. Born in Queensland to South Sudanese parents, Gout ran 20.87s in the 200m on Saturday, trimming the national under-18 record by 0.3s.
Gout already holds the national under-16 record after running 10.43s last year. On Sunday, he won the 100m under-18 title when he ran 10.5s.
Amidzovski was overwhelmed when she crossed the line and knew she had broken the record of her idol.
“I was just about to cry at the finish line, it’s such a blessing,” she said. “You put in so much hard work and see it all pay off – it’s an indescribable feeling. Sally has always been an idol. She’s the best Australian hurdler of all-time, so to break her record is a dream come true for any athlete.
“I hadn’t really looked [at the record] until I came here, but my dad just said go for it. He said give it everything you can. I didn’t think I would [beat the record] but the fact that I did it, I’m really happy. I’ve got a while to keep improving on this. Hopefully, the next eight months will go well.”
Pearson went on to win Olympic gold and silver, as well as two world championship golds and a silver medal. She also won gold and silver at the world indoors and two Commonwealth golds. In 2011, she was named world female athlete of the year.
Gout Gout celebrates after winning the under-18 men’s 200m final. Credit: Casey Sims
Gout is now the talk of athletics. Tall and rangy, he starts slowly but at about the 40m mark in the 100m he kicks and surges. In the 200m, his tall frame and long legs give him a bounce and kick as he rounds the bend that slingshots him down the straight.
“It means a lot because I’ve been training so much for this. I was really nervous. The gun went, and I was good, and I just kept pushing,” Gout said.
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