The Tasmanian Age Championships were held on the 24-25th February at the Domain Athletics Centre, with a number of OVA athletes showcasing their talent both on the track and in the field. 

Whilst not possible to mention every performance, the club wishes to congratulate all members who participated on their outstanding efforts. 

One particular achievement from the weekend was Will Robertson, who participated in both the U16 3,000m and the Open 5km race walk. 

In the U16 event, Will's performance saw him finish in a new Tasmanian record time of 13:31.89, smashing the previous record which was set over 30 years ago! 

OVA deputy captain Lucy caught up with Will this evening to talk all things training and competition. 

"My pre-race routine usually consists of a warm up, walking a few laps and some stretching to ensure I'm ready to go for the race," Will said.

"When I was preparing for the Age Championships, my coach Rosemary Coleman suggested pushing training out in an attempt to race walk the longer distance".

After enjoying the longer training, Will decided to have a go in competition, and the results prove that the move definitely paid off.

"I entered the race knowing what the record was," Will told Lucy, "and that I knew I couldn't let my training partner Alice [Randall] go during the race as it would help push me along".

"I felt good for the first kilometre, my training the previous week really helped. I felt that this, along with being able to stick with Alice, really boosted my confidence through out the race," which eventually saw him go on to his awesome achievement.

We again congratulate Will, and all the OVA members, on a great weekend at the Tasmanian Age Championships.

Many of our athletes are competing in the Australian Age Championships this month in Sydney, so stay tuned!