Middle distance runners impress at Western Region championships

They were among a host of budding competitors from the Warrnambool and Port Fairy little athletics centres to compete at the Western Region country championships in Ballarat on February 10-11.

Three Warrnambool athletes had standout performances.

Audrey Bright collected five gold medals (100 metres, 200m, 400m, 800m and high jump) in the under 11 girls' section.

Beau Morrison took home four golds, winning the under 11 boys' 400m, 800m, 1500m and 80m hurdles.

Lenny Jansz (400m, 800m and high jump) performed strongly in the under 10 boys' category to snare three gold medals.

Alexis Pickford celebrated winning three gold in the under 13 girls. She won discus, javelin and shot put.

Amelia Bussell, competing in the under 15 girls' category, also collected three gold after winning the 100m, 200m and 400m.

Warrnambool team manager and coach Mark Jansz said the club was pleased with its results.

"We have a really good crop of middle distance runners at the minute so that's a lot of 800m and 1500m and I think it was really noticeable across the weekend our kids really performed well in those events especially," he said.

Jansz was rapt with Warrnambool's 50-strong team, ranging from under nines to under 17s, which performed at Ballarat.

"The overall team performed and the team spirit shown across the weekend was evident," he said.

Those who won their respective Western Region events automatically qualified for the state titles at Melbourne's Casey Fields on the March long weekend.

It means Warrnambool will have at least 20 athletes at the Victorian event and Port Fairy will also be represented.

Other competitors could yet get the call up as the next best times, distances or heights from across the state's seven regions are considered.