Athletics Australia – News – Athletics excels in Nanjing

The Australian Athletics section has collected nine medals at the second summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.

The Aussies won six medals inside the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre and picked up three additional medals in the YOG-specific 8x100m international relay overnight (Trae Williams- part of the gold medal team, Rachel Pace- silver, Sam Geddes- bronze).

“Seeing the Australian Youth Olympic Team perform well, particularly the Athletics section, promises so much for the future,” said Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates, who has been a regular in the stands in Nanjing.

“I was thrilled to witness Jessica Thornton, Shemaiah James, Sam Geddes and Trae Williams win four medals on the opening night of Athletics,” Coates said.

“This really got the Athletics team on a roll and they have been a shining light at the end of the Youth Olympic Games program. For the Athletics team to go on and win nine medals and come close to our efforts in the pool is wonderful for Australia.”

“It is particularly heartening to see the Australian flag flying high in Athletics which has a greater number of nations vying for medals than any other sport.”

It has been a long time since Australia has won this many Athletics medals at an Olympic event. In fact the last time six or more track and field medals were won was in Mexico 1968.

“I have been really impressed with the Athletics team,” Youth Olympic Team Chef de Mission Susie O’Neill said.

“Athletics seems to be firing and I know all of the athletes are doing personal bests, which is the main thing.”

Outside the field of play, O’Neill praised the Australian track and field unit.

“The Athletics team have been meeting every day and there seems to be a really good spirit among that team. Quite often when you are competing in different events, sections are fragmented. The team concept has really worked for them. The athletes go out and support each other. I think that has really helped lift them.”

Australia was represented in 20 Athletics events, converting this to nine medals; comparatively, the swimmers entered 40 events between eight of them to win ten medals- the most of any Australian section at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

But Madame Butterfly was keen to note the difference between how Australia’s Swimming and Athletics sections were selected. Australia sent the maximum number of competitors in Swimming with eight athletes (four male/ four female) compared to 20 in Athletics (10 male/ 10 female).

“It is kind of like comparing apples with oranges because of how the teams are picked,” O’Neill explained.

“In Swimming there were only eight in the team and they did multiple events; whereas we had 20 athletes in Athletics, and they only did one event each- apart from the international relay.”

No mixed international events were offered in swimming while Australians won gold, silver and bronze in the international mixed 8x100m relay in Athletics to add three medals to the tally.

To see all of Australia’s Youth Olympic medallists, click here >>

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