Three young Corio athletes travelled to Adelaide last weekend to compete on the national stage, with excellent results.
Corio Little Athletics Centre’s Sienna Bilinski, Kobi Matheson and Xander Mitchell were part of the Victorian team competing at the 2024 Australian Little Athletics Championships at SA Athletics Stadium in Adelaide.
In an amazing display of dominance, Kobi competed in five under 13 multi-class events – javelin, shot put, discus, 200m and long jump – and won gold in all five, while Sienna won silver in under 14 long jump and bronze in triple jump and Xander placed seventh in the country in under 13 javelin.
The three little athletes also contributed points towards their respective age groups’ state team, with the under 13s reclaiming the Trevor Billingham trophy from NSW.
The club’s vice-president John Mitchell said the weekend was an amazing experience for all three athletes.
“They get to make friends and bond with other kids from all around Victoria and also the other states, so friendships are formed, all that stuff,” Mr Mitchell said.
“The (Victorian) team takes a coach for each event as well, so some of the better coaches in the state take on those roles. They’re with them at the event to give them advice, so it’s quite exciting for them.”
Sienna said she had a great experience at her second national championships.
“(The team competition) makes it really good, it feels nice because we all came together as a team and worked really hard,” she said.
“Last year I came fourth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump, so I’m happier this time with my results. It was like, after all my hard work I’ve been rewarded for it, it was really nice to get a medal in both of them.”
