HAMILTON Little Athletics Club is celebrating its first batch of participants to make their way to the next stage of their sporting journey after 13 athletes won their way to the state titles in Melbourne next month.

It is a remarkable achievement for the club, with the club not even a month into its program, with the young athletes enjoying just three weeks of events in preparation for the Western Country Region Track and Field Carnival.

The athletes had to compete at the regional level in Ballarat and win their events to progress straight to the state titles, with Holly Sweeney (Under-16 Girls 100m, 200m and long jump), Tess Lewis (Under-11 Girls long jump, shot put and triple jump), Georgia Lewis (Under-9 100m and 60m hurdles), Luke Hilsdon (Under-13 Boys 200m hurdles), Seamus McDonald (Under-11 Boys 80m hurdles) and Liam Pickford (Under-9 100m and 60m hurdles) all winning their various events to earn automatic qualification for the state-wide event.

Hamilton Running Club Little Athletics Vice-President, Jason Thomas said he was excited by the progress of the club’s participants after the Hamilton program only started four weeks ago.

“The number of athletes who keep posting personal best times at every session is incredible,” Thomas said.

“Our aim is to have the kids better their personal best times and distances, rather than gain places in events.

“While we celebrate our placegetters of course, we are more attuned to each athlete bettering their personal best.

“We have seven athletes who have won their way through to the state titles in March, and they will compete in 10 different events.”

Leading the way is 15-year-old Holly Sweeney, who will compete this weekend in Melbourne in the Victorian Track and Field Championships (Under-14 to Under-18) in the Under-16 Girls 100m, where she will seek to qualify for the National Championships later in the year.

“My best time for the 100m is 12.34 seconds and I hope to better that this weekend,” Sweeney said.

“I started athletics last season in South Australia, and this is my second season of Little Athletics and the first time I have qualified for the Victorian Titles.”

With Hamilton not having a synthetic athletics track, the athletes run on grass (which is not completely flat, being a natural surface) and the difference between the two surfaces is vast, so to qualify for the titles is an outstanding achievement for all involved.

“The way the local community has come together to support the club and the program is great, and the kids really enjoy the program we are providing,” Thomas said.