Athletics
22 April, 2024
Meek launching into Little Athletics National Championships
Horsham's Asha Meek will represent Victoria and Horsham Little Athletics Centre at the 2024 Coles Australian Little Athletics Championships contested in Adelaide from Friday, April 26 to Sunday, April 28 at the South Australian Athletics Stadium.
Asha Meek will be competing in the 100m sprint and the 200m hurdles.
This is the first time since 2014 that Horsham will have an athlete at the championships when Andrew Edgerton and Anna Bush competed in the U15 combined event in Melbourne.
Celebrating 60 years of Little Athletics Australia, the 2024 Coles Australian Little Athletics Championships consists of a U13, U14 and U15 Track & Field Championship including Multi-Class athletes and a U15 Combined Events Championship.
Over 1,000 athletes are expected to compete for individual medals and team trophies.
Meek will be joined by former Horsham Little Athlete Isla Hiscock who moved to Queensland in January. Isla will be competing for Queensland in the U15 300m hurdles. Asha is looking forward to catching up with her former squad member.
Stawell athlete Xyrus Gragasin is also competing in the U13 boy's long jump.
Meek has been working hard to prepare herself for the championships, including training twice a week with “Rickety Athletics Training Squad” at Cornell Park. Meek also does one or two sessions at home & also thanks to Stawell Little Athletics Centre, in being able to train more specifically for hurdles on the athletics track at Stawell as Horsham doesn't have the facilities.
Meek has made considerable improvements over the last season. She came fourth at the state combined events and placed fourth in the 100m, 5th in the 200m hurdles, 6th in the long jump, 6th in 200m and 11th in the 80m hurdles at Little Athletics Victorian State Championships.
Coach Ricky Price said Asha's goals will be to make the final.
"I would like to see her do well enough in the heats to make the final and then try and run a better time in the final than the heat and place as well as possible," Price said.
"She is a little lucky to make the state team, but sometimes you just need to take the opportunity when it arises and this will be a great experience for her.
"Asha has only run the 200m hurdles twice this season at region and state championships as it is not on the Horsham program, so it is a remarkable effort."
"Although she has run the 200m hurdles with Eureka Athletics club in Ballarat, the Athletics Victoria 200m has 10 hurdles whereas little athletics have five which makes it a completely different race."
"She has plenty of improvement to go in the 200m hurdles if she can get off to a fast start over the first two hurdles and be more aggressive in running between the hurdles and through to the finish line."
"In the 100m, her strength is her ability to finish fast over the last 30m, but she needs to be more powerful starting off the blocks to put herself in a good position," Price concluded.
Meek traveled to Melbourne on Sunday to train with the state team and will be flying to Adelaide to compete.
Meek's parents, Matthew and KiAndra said they are excited.
"We are very proud of her and what she is achieving," KiAndra said.
"We have no expectation. We just want her to do her best. A top 10 will be nice," Matthew said.
"If Asha got a top 10 it will be amazing, but being there is amazing, so if you do your best, that's the main thing."
Asha is looking forward to the opportunity.
"I feel great about myself and I feel lucky to be in it," Asha said.