Townsville Bulletin - 18.09.2009 

RISING sprinter Shannon Smith will use next month's Ergon Athletics North Queensland Championships as a springboard on to the world stage.

Hundreds of competitors aged from four to masters will descend on the Townsville Sports Reserve from October 2-4 for the biggest athletics meet on the NQ calender. While some will be in it just for the participation, many highly regarded athletes will be fine-tuning their training for upcoming international meets. Townsville Athletics Club member Smith is one of them. The teenager is coming off a strong season that saw her record national qualifiers in the 100m, 200m and 400m, while last year she was named in Australia's under-18 squad. ''The best thing about this meet is that it really pushes you to higher heights,'' Smith said.

''The Athletics North Queensland Championships are just amazing and a perfect stepping stone for any athlete who wants to take the next step with this sport. ''Ultimately I'd love to qualify for the World Junior Championships in Canada next year, but we will just take it one step at a time.'' The championships have events ranging from 100 yards (Hector Hogan sprint) to 5000m. Combined events, including the decathlon and heptathlon, will also be offered. The Athletics Australia Jump Start to London team will once again make the trip to Townsville, many of whom are striving for national success early in 2010 with hopes to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tristan Nelliman-Adams is a member of the Jump Start squad and is also a potential future Cowboy in the NRL as part of their development squad. As well as 27 athletes from the Jump Start program, 15 competitors from Papua New Guinea will make their way to the championships and another 60 from Rockhampton are also locked in. Nominations for the NQ Championships are now open and can be found at www.athleticsnorthqld.org.au or by phoning the ANQ Office on 47281365.