Big showing for little athletes

CASEY Little Athletics Centre sent 61 athletes – its largest number of qualifiers – to the recent State Championships at Olympic Park.
The athletes competed in 135 events, with 11 athletes successful, bringing home two gold, six silver and six bronze.
Taylor Vasiljevic got the ball rolling for the locals with a win in the under-12 girls 1500m race walk, covering the course in 7:36.36 to win by five seconds.
Casey’s Evander D’Silva was best in the U14 boys 300m hurdles, claiming victory in 41.97.
D’Silva also took home a bronze medal in the U9 hurdles (13.49).
Silver medallists from Casey were Jade Sanders, U13 girls 1500m race walk (7:04.91); Shilpa Weerasekra, U15 boys 800m (2:04.37); Shimona Albuquerque, U11 girls 800m (2:27.94); Aiden Saluni-Kettle, U10 boys U50m hurdles (10.42); Daniel Dupre, U14 boys 100m (11.70) and James Desilva, U12 boys 400m (1:01.53).
Taking home bronze medals for Casey were Samuel Merrick, U10 boys 80m hurdles (14.20); Matisse Lazzari, U9 girls 80m hurdles (14.73); Rebecca Henderson, U10 girls 1100m race walk (6:02.90); Shilpa Weerasekra, U15 boys 1500m (4:25.48) and Samuel Merrick, U10 boys 60m hurdles (10.60).