King Islander Harry Raff’s prize for winning the state school cross-country championships will be a first visit to his state capital.
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While many of the winners at Symmons Plains were a little disappointed that this year’s nationals were being held nowhere more exotic than Rokeby, Harry was delighted to land another trip to the “mainland”.
“I’ve never been to Hobart before so it’s really exciting to be going there,” he said after claiming the under-14 boys’ race at the Tasmanian Secondary Schools Championships.
Queensland-born Harry’s family are beef farmers and moved to Lymwood in 2015. “We weren’t getting enough rain in Queensland, but we’re getting plenty now,” he said.
He won King Island High School’s cross-country, the North-West titles in Burnie and completed the state hat-trick over three kilometres in 9:58, ahead of Scotch Oakburn’s Jack Nicholls and Johnathon Pullen, of Hobart’s Sacred Heart College.
Organised by Athletics Tasmania, the titles doubled as the state age championships.
Charli Kay (10:17), of Burnie’s Marist College, won the under-14 girls from Connie Dean (Kings Meadows) and Siena Fell (Launceston Church Grammar).
“That was hard but I’ve won three in a row now so did not want to lose that,” Kay said.
Erin Giles, 14, of St Patrick’s College, was delighted to claim the under-15 girls’ race. “That was awesome,” she said. “I never believed I could win so I’m really happy.” Sam Talbot (Kings Meadows) won the boys’ race.
New Town’s Mason Attfield was the only under-17 boy to break 20 minutes over 6km, leading home Abbas Rajab Ali, of Kings Meadows, while Lucy Jones, of Scotch, claimed the girls’ race.
“I don’t do a lot of running, I mainly just play soccer for Olympia, but maybe I need to do a bit more,” Mason said.
Sam Clifford (Riverside) and Catelyn Turner (Exeter) claimed a Northern under-16 double while Devonport’s Isabelle Sharman (Don College) and Max Green (St Brendan Shaw) won the under-20s.
Steeplechaser Harvey Chilcott (Hutchins) and 1500m track specialist Ruby Smee (Hobart College) won the under-18 races.