VERSATILITY was the key as Flack Advisory Bendigo Region hosted pentathlon round for athletes on Saturday at Flora Hill.
Running, jumping and throwing skills were put to the test across the five-event showdown at the Latrobe University Bendigo athletics complex in Flora Hill.
Athletes earned points in various age groups.
Among the highs was the 4 x 800m relay championship in which Eaglehawk's under-18 boys and South Bendigo's 50-plus women broke Centre records.
The Hawks line-up of Angus McKindlay, Kenan Seebah, Mitchell O'Neill and James Bentley ran a brilliant time of 8:41.68.
South's record-breaking run rolled on as Debby Kirne, Jennifer Payne, Carol Coad and Jackie Guillou charged to the line in 13:19.35.
Eaglehawk's David Chisholm was leading points-scorer in four of five events as he scored 1908 points to win the men's masters pentathlon.
The women's masters was won by University's Andrea Smith on 1444 points.
Just 74 points was the margin between Smith and South Bendigo's Jayne Norton in the finale.
Eaglehawk's young gun James Bentley almost hit the 2500-point mark as he won the men's invitation. The Moama teenager leapt 5.43m at long jump, hurled the javelin a distance of 30.27m, ran the 200m in 23.94.
Bentley was runner-up in the discus, 27.08m, as South Bendigo's Quinn Grey, who travelled from near Swam Hill to compete, was best on 27.34m.
Renowned for his feats in 200m, 400m and 800m, Bentley stepped up to run the 1500m in 4:50.03.
Grey performed well for a tally of 1839 as Eaglehawk's Sam Storer scored 1784 in his first pentathlon.
South Bendigo's Abbey Hromenko took out the women's invitation.
Best performances were long jump, 4.44m; javelin, 26.41m, and 200m, 29.74.
A highlight was the 200m as Hromenko won in 29.74 from Tiffany Bussem-Jorgensen of Bendigo Harriers in 29.77.
It was another victory for South Bendigo in the under-14 boys pentathlon as Keenan Seymour scored 1025 points.
Lewis Lonsdale from University also competed well.
The under-14 girls title was won by Harriet Gall from Bendigo Harriers on 2127 points from South Bendigo's Emma Orme.
In the additional events on the non-AV Shield program, Jorja Peace from Eaglehawk won the 100m hurdles.
Winners of the 100m heats were Abbey Conquer from Bendigo Harriers, South Bendigo's Genevieve Nihill, and the Hilson brothers, Jake and Kyle.
South Bendigo's Bernard Nihill ran the 3000m in 10:49.42. It was daughter and father, Olivia and Craig Graham who led the way at hammer on marks of 44.67m and 33.21m.
Best at shot put were Olivia Graham, 8.84m, and Hawks' clubmate Siobhan Thompson, 8.58m.
At high jump, Eaglehawk's Denise Snyder soared 1.65m, as Angus McKindlay added to the Two Blues' run as he leapt 5.58m at long jump.
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