Bendigo athletes chase medal haul at state championships

Action begins on Friday night at Lakeside Stadium in South Melbourne and ends on Saturday.

Gold medallist in the under-14 1500m, South Bendigo's Chelsea Tickell will be on track at 7.50pm for the under-14 800m.

Clubmate Kai Norton lines up in the under-14 javelin at 7.15pm.

Norton has won the the under-14 shot put and silver in the hammer at these titles.

Also in action on Friday will be Cohuna's Kye Mason and Echuca's Laura Kadri in the open 200m.

Both will race in Eaglehawk's famous two blue colours, as will clubmates Cameron Smith in the under-18 200m and Scarlett Southern in the under-16 800m.

Read more: BDCA run home - the battle for fourth

Bendigo Harriers' Haylee Greenman contests the under-20 javelin from 6pm and Daniel Noden is in the under-17 800m at 9.05pm.

Another Harrier, Liam Richardson will contest the open ambulant shot put at 7.30pm. The open 800m race at 10.15pm includes Nathan Crowley from Bendigo University.

On Saturday, Victoria's record holder for the under-15 3000m, Logan Tickell steps up to contest the under-17 3000m at 12.30pm.

Tickell ran the 7 1/2 laps at Box Hill in 8:48.13 last November.

Eaglehawk's Angus McKindlay will be powering around the track and over the hurdles in the under-20s 400m showdown at 1.30pm.

Pole vaulters and South Bendigo clubmates Rhys Hansen and Emma Orme are in great form going into their under-15 and under-16 finals respectively.

Hansen soared 3.05m at the Flora Hill track to break the Bendigo under-14s record of 3.00m held by Justin McEwan from Harriers for almost 20 years.

A highlight of Saturday's track action will be the under-18 3000m at 12.15pm featuring Bendigo Harriers' Harrison Boyd and University's Jayden Padgham and Angus Macafee.

The margin was less than a second as Boyd claimed gold in the under-18 2000m steeple from Padgham last Sunday.

Harriers' Hailey Stubbs is the state under-15 hammer champion and will take on discus on Saturday at 1.30pm.

Finals in the 3000m feature South Bendigo's Taryn Furletti, under-20, and Genevieve Nihill, under-1; and Harriers' Merlin Tzaros, under-15.

The in-form Jake Gavriliadis from Harriers will contest the under-17 discus from 10am, and South Bendigo's Kai Norton and Jasper Seymour are in the under-14 discus.

Harriers' Caitlin Evans is in the under-18 400m hurdles and Reeve Evans in the under-16 200m hurdles.

Javelin features Eaglehawk's Dude Kelly, under-18s; Harriers' Jorja Hill, under-18; and Wangratta-based brothers Alex and Xavier Pitt competing for Albury in the under-20 and under-18 divisions.

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