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High-performance coach Jacko Whitby’s Geraldton-based Kaliah Dreaming squad set PBs at WA Track & Field champs

Reuben CarderMidwest Times
Taylah Dean leads in the hurdles.
Camera IconTaylah Dean leads in the hurdles. Credit: Supplied

Geraldton high-performance athletics coach Jacko Whitby’s Kaliah Dreaming squad set several personal bests at State competition last weekend, setting the competitors up well for the upcoming end of the local season.

Whitby, whose group has a partnership with the Perth-based squad featuring Olympian Peter Bol, said he was impressed by the athletes’ performances at the Little Athletics WA Track & Field Championships in Perth from Friday to Sunday.

“It was a great weekend of results from our very hard-working high-performance squad members,” Whitby said.

He said the squad was now looking forward to the end of the season with the local athletics championships before taking a break and hitting the training track and gym again in April.

Kaleb Chapman, 15, set personal bests in the under-16 boys’ high jump and triple jump.

Kaleb jumped 1.50m in the high jump after only three training sessions, finishing fourth and pushing the higher placegetters.

He set a PB of 10.5m in the triple jump.

Taylah Dean made it to the finals of the under-15 90m hurdles, just being squeezed into fourth by three one-hundredths of a second.

She finished in 14.20 seconds, well inside the national qualifying time of 14.64s.

It was the third time in a row she has finished in the national qualifying time in her last three starts.

She also set a personal best of 27.61 in the 200m sprint final.

Alissa Bergsma placed fourth in her under-12 200m final heat, setting a PB of 28.61 and beating her own best time set in a qualifying heat.

She was one of two country competitors in the final.

She also ran fifth in her 100m heat, and set a PB in her 400m heat and placed eighth after qualifying for the final.

Reuben Chapman recovered from a viral infection lasting several weeks to place fifth in his 400m under-13 heat.

He narrowly missed the final in the 80m hurdles, finishing fourth with a PB time of 14.06.

He then set a PB of 28.68 in his 200m running heat.

Bonnie Dean gained valuable experience, competing in the girls’ under-10 walk, and Celiah Frick did the same in the under-nine girls 100m, 200m and 400m.

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