Thirty-one masters members represented their State well at the recent instalment of the Australian Masters Athletics Championships, spanning from the 6th to the 9th of March 2026. The competition was split across four venues, with the first two days hosted at the AIS Track and Masson Street Throwing Field and the subsequent days moving to the Woden Track and Stromlo Park for the Cross Country.

Our athletes showed incredible depth across sprints, middle-distance, walks, jumps, throws, and multi-events. Below is a summary of the podium finishes for all Final (F) events, followed by a chronological report of the competition.

Podium Summary (72 Medals) [Edited 25/03]

🥇 Gold (1st Place) - 34

• Sprints & Middle Distance: Gregory Tolpigin (M50 100m & 200m), Daniel Nolan (M30 200m), Trevor Young (M65 400m), Deborah Drennan (W65 800m), Brad Sharpe (M65 800m), Shane Decker (M40 10000m).
• Hurdles & Steeplechase: Nicki Drinkwater (W50 80m & 300m Hurdles), Craig Baker (M40 110m Hurdles), Ryan Dowling (M45 110m & 400m Hurdles), Brad Sharpe (M65 2000m Steeplechase).
• Race Walks: Sandy Hoy (W55 5000m &1500m), Peter Bacon (M75 1500m and 5000m fitness walks), Jim Seymon (M85 1500m). [Edited 25/03]
• Jumps: Matteo Passerini (M40 Long Jump), Tim McGrath (M60 Long Jump), Nicki Drinkwater (W50 Triple Jump).
• Throws: Nicki Drinkwater (W50 Shot Put), Craig Baker (M40 Discus), Maria Cimino (W50 Hammer & Weight Throw), Antoinette Baron (W75 Hammer & Weight Throw).
• Pentathlons: Helena Smith (W35 Throws), Antoinette Baron (W75 Throws), Craig Baker (M40 Outdoor).
• Relays: M30+ 4x100m 180+ (Ryan Dowling, Gregory Tolpigin), W30+ 4x100m 180+ (Nicki Drinkwater), M30+ 4x100m 240+ (Ben Hargy), X30+ 4x400m 180+ (Chris Todd, Nicki Drinkwater).

🥈 Silver (2nd Place) - 24

• Sprints & Distance: Ryan Dowling (M45 100m), Victor Ramondetta (M70 400m), Kriszta Kovacs (W50 800m).
• Hurdles: Victor Ramondetta (M70 300m), Chris Greatrex (M55 400m).
• Jumps & Vault: Nicki Drinkwater (W50 Long Jump & High Jump), Janet Naylon (W55 Long Jump & Triple Jump), Zoran Novicic (M65 Triple Jump), Craig Baker (M40 Pole Vault), Tim McGrath (M60 Pole Vault).
• Throws: Helena Smith (W35 Discus, Hammer, & Weight Throw), Antoinette Baron (W75 Discus & Javelin), Giuseppe Valletta (M40 Discus), Tim McGrath (M60 Discus), Craig Baker (M40 Javelin), Caroline Layt (W60 Hammer & Weight Throw).
• Pentathlons & Relays: Cynthia Thomson (W60 Outdoor), X30+ 4x400m 240+ (Brad Sharpe, Deborah Drennan).

🥉 Bronze (3rd Place) - 14 [Edited 25/03]

• Sprints & Distance: Daniel Nolan (M30 60m & 100m), Alison Lumley (W45 400m), Kriszta Kovacs (W50 400m), Deborah Drennan (W65 400m), Chris Todd (M50 800m), Brad Sharpe (M65 1500m), Shane Decker (M40 5000m).
• Jumps: Cynthia Thomson (W60 Long Jump), Sandy Hoy (W55 Triple Jump & High Jump), Trevor Young (M65 High Jump).
• Throws & Pentathlons: Caroline Layt (W60 Throws Pentathlon), Janet Naylon (W55 Outdoor Pentathlon).

Day 1: Friday, 6 March 2026 – AIS Track

The championships opened at the AIS Track with early morning field events. Cynthia Thomson took on the W60 Long Jump, claiming a bronze medal with a 3.51m leap. On the track, Shane Decker powered through the M40 10000m final, capturing gold in 55:01.43.

The midday block required exceptional time management from our athletes. Nicki Drinkwater had to navigate a tight schedule, securing silver in the W50 Long Jump (4.67m) at 12:02, before heading to the Shot Put just 38 minutes later at 12:40 to deliver a golden throw of 11.76m. During this busy period, Janet Naylon took silver in the W55 Long Jump (3.55m), Helena Smith claimed silver in the W35 Hammer Throw (29.89m), and Maria Cimino won the W50 Hammer Throw with an impressive 43.92m. The 800m finals also heated up the track, with Kriszta Kovacs (W50, 2:27.61) taking silver, Chris Todd (M50, 2:11.23) claiming bronze, and Brad Sharpe capping off the middle-distance events by winning the M65 gold in 2:36.16.

Mid-afternoon, Sandy Hoy secured gold in the W55 1500m Race Walk (10:41.89). Jim Seymon also took gold in the M85 (16:15.06), while Peter Bacon earned gold (11:37.79) in the M75 new fitness walk event in his first Nationals. [Edited 25/03]

The afternoon sprints were fiercely contested. The 60m Finals saw Daniel Nolan (M30, 7.37s) take bronze. In the Preliminary (P) rounds for the 100m, Emanuele Placuzzi (M40), Martin Szeto (M40), Ben Hargy (M50), and Gregory Tolpigin (M50) all successfully navigated their heats. The day concluded with the blistering 100m Finals, where Gregory Tolpigin stormed to gold in the M50 division (11.81s), Ryan Dowling claimed silver in the M45 (11.96s), and Daniel Nolan picked up bronze in the M30 (11.57s). Antoinette Baron added a late gold in the W75 Hammer Throw (23.45m).

Day 2: Saturday, 7 March 2026 – AIS Track

Day 2 at the AIS Track began with an endurance test in the 5000m Race Walks in the mid morning heat. Sandy Hoy won gold in the W55 (39:30.30), and Peter Bacon also earned a gold medal in the M75 fitness walk (44:39.00). [Edited 25/03]

In the field, Antoinette Baron grabbed a silver medal in the W75 Discus (12.68m). The M40 Discus was dominated by UTS Norths, with Craig Baker taking gold (34.44m) and Giuseppe Valletta taking silver (30.51m). The Long Jump pits saw Matteo Passerini take gold in the M40 division with a huge 6.08m leap, while Tim McGrath secured gold in the M60 (4.61m). Pole Vaulters were also in fine form, with both Craig Baker (M40, 3.50m) and Tim McGrath (M60, 2.50m) taking silver medals in their events. High jumpers Nicki Drinkwater (W50, 1.48m) and Sandy Hoy (W55, 1.09m) jumped at their best for silver and bronze respectively. [Edited 25/03]

When the 200m Finals rolled around, Daniel Nolan snatched gold in the M30 (23.28s), and Gregory Tolpigin added another gold in the M50 (23.67s). Deborah Drennan also secured a middle-distance gold, winning the W65 800m in 3:02.10.

The day wrapped up with the highly anticipated Relays and final throwing events. Nicki Drinkwater helped secure gold in the W30+ 4x100m (180+). Shortly after, Ryan Dowling and Gregory Tolpigin locked in gold for the M30+ 4x100m (180+), with Ben Hargy following suit in the 240+ category. The javelin throwers closed out the evening with a silver-medal throw from Craig Baker (43.01m).

Day 3: Sunday, 8 March 2026 – Woden Track

Action shifted to the Woden Track. The morning set a strong pace with Shane Decker crossing the line in the M40 5000m for a bronze medal (22:48.19).

The 400m sprint finals were the highlight of midday. Trevor Young put on a masterclass to win gold in the M65 (1:10.10). Silver went to Victor Ramondetta in the M70 (1:11.40), while bronze medals were earned by Alison Lumley (W45), Kriszta Kovacs (W50), and Deborah Drennan (W65).

Hurdlers had a highly successful afternoon. Craig Baker won the M40 110m Short Hurdles (17.73s), Ryan Dowling took the M45 110m (16.03s), and Nicki Drinkwater claimed the W50 80m title (13.07s) in swirling windy conditions.

In the throwing circle, the Weight Throws brought more hardware to UTS Norths. Maria Cimino threw 13.78m to win the W50 gold. Caroline Layt took silver in the W60 (13.42m), and Helena Smith claimed another silver in the W35.

The day concluded with the 4x400m Relays, where the X30+ 180+ team featuring Chris Todd and Nicki Drinkwater clinched gold with a time of 4:13.83. The X30+ 240+ team comprising Brad Sharpe and Deborah Drennan followed closely to take silver. X denotes Mixed gender events an event that is fast becoming very popular on the World Athletics circuit and one that allowed the states and territories to be more competitive.

Day 4: Monday, 9 March 2026 – Woden Track

The final day at Woden Track tested the endurance of our athletes with the Long Hurdles. Ryan Dowling won the M45 400m Hurdles in 59.61s. Chris Greatrex took silver in the M55 400m Hurdles, while Victor Ramondetta picked up silver in the M70 300m Hurdles.

Nicki Drinkwater faced the most brutal turnaround of the competition. She won gold in the W50 300m Hurdles at 09:21 (51.29s), and with only a 15-minute gap, headed straight to the Triple Jump pits at 09:36 to claim another gold medal with an 8.94m leap. Her teammates joined her on the podium for the Triple Jump, with Janet Naylon securing silver in the W55 (6.79m), and Sandy Hoy following with bronze (6.75m).

The afternoon saw Brad Sharpe triumph in the M65 2000m Steeplechase, clocking 8:44.85 for gold, and Antoinette Baron earning silver in the W75 Javelin (13.39m).

The championships concluded with late distance events, final throws, and the culmination of the multi-events.

In the throwing circle, Antoinette Baron capped off her remarkable campaign by winning gold in the W75 Weight Throw with a 12.96m mark. Caroline Layt secured a silver medal in the W60 Hammer Throw with a solid 36.80m effort. Shane Decker rounded out the diverse competition arrangement on the Stromlo Forest Park circuit as the only member to tackle the Cross Country, finishing 4th in the M40 8km distance.

The Pentathlon results finalised our medal tally. Helena Smith (1983 points) and Antoinette Baron (2342 points) were crowned champions in their respective W35 and W75 Throws Pentathlons. Craig Baker also claimed gold in the M40 Outdoor Pentathlon (2887 points). Cynthia Thomson earned silver in the W60 Outdoor Pentathlon (2237 points), while Caroline Layt (W60 Throws) and Janet Naylon (W55 Outdoor) both took home bronze.

Record-Breaking Performances

Beyond the impressive medal haul, our athletes etched their names into the history books with a staggering ten new Club Records set throughout the championships:

• 6 March: Kriszta Kovacs set a new Club Record in the W50 1500m with a brilliant run of 5:09.42, while Nicki Drinkwater set a new W50 High Jump record with a 1.48m clearance.
• 7 March: Gregory Tolpigin smashed the M50 200m record with a blistering 23.67s, and Brad Sharpe rewrote the M65 800m record books, crossing the line in 2:36.16.
• 8 March: Kriszta Kovacs claimed her second record of the meet, setting a new W50 800m mark of 2:27.61. In the field, Caroline Layt set a W60 Weight Throw (7.26kg) record of 14.47m, and Craig Baker established a new M40 Pentathlon record with a massive 2887 points.
• 9 March: Multi-eventers and hurdlers stole the show. Helena Smith set a W35 Throws Pentathlon record (1983 points), and Caroline Layt added a W60 Throws Pentathlon record (3231 points) to her outstanding campaign. On the track, Chris Greatrex set a new M55 400m Hurdles (0.840m) record with a time of 1:10.84.