The FAST Running squad returned to the track at the AIS Summer Series with a night that showcased the depth, resilience, and upward trajectory of the group as athletes continue building towards the Australian Athletics Nationals in April.
Across the program there were personal bests, national qualifiers, club records, and important competition performances, reinforcing the strength of the FAST training environment and the momentum currently building within the squad.
Early success for Lewin
Earlier in the day, Lewin Ainsworth delivered a standout performance at Gungahlin Little Athletics, breaking two club records in the 100m and 200m. He then returned to the AIS later in the evening to back up with a 12.06s 100m and 24.51s 200m, demonstrating impressive resilience across a long day of racing.
Tom Madigan’s historic 400m
The headline performance of the night came from Tom Madigan, who stormed to a 51.41s 400m, a time that:
- Meets the Australian Athletics Automatic Qualifier for Nationals
- Registers as a World Athletics Ranking Performance
- Is the fastest 400m run by a 15-year-old since FAST’s own Matt Walters (51.07s ACT Record in 2015) – broke Tom’s own Woden Athletics Club Record.
- Is faster than the ACT U17 Record set by Aydin Ayan in 2025 (51.43s)
Based on this performance, Tom would have won both the ACT U18 and ACT U20 400m titles this year, underlining the remarkable standard of his run.
400m group showing strong progression
The FAST 400m squad continues to show excellent development:
- Chris Valzano ran a personal best 55.81s, improving from 57.29s in December.
- Ellie B continued her breakthrough season with 1:02.86, backing up consecutive 1:02 performances after previously running 1:06 earlier in the year.
- Sanjna Vijayakumar (13) delivered a major personal best of 1:15.79, a significant improvement from 1:19 recorded on 25 January.
Both Chris and Ellie will represent the ACT at the NSW Championships in Sydney this weekend, where they will contest the 400m.
Daniel leads the 200m with ACT-leading performance
Daniel Nwaobi continued his strong competition phase with an ACT-leading 22.47s 200m, slicing 0.3 seconds from his time at ACT Championships and moving closer to his personal best of 22.16s set at Australian All Schools last year.
The performance signals excellent preparation as Daniel builds towards his key national campaign in Brisbane this April.
Sam races through fatigue
Sam Blood produced a strong 23.10s 200m, improving on his 23.28s from the ACT Championships, despite the challenge of a school wakeboarding excursion the day before competition.
His result highlights the benefits of FAST’s competition phase training, with his times steadily dropping as the season progresses.
Cecilia continues her Nationals build
Cecilia Ador continues to trend strongly toward Nationals, running:
- 12.39s in the 100m (improving on 12.63s from 14 February)
- 25.36s in the 200m, faster than her 25.50s at the ACT Championships
Both performances meet the Australian Athletics National Qualifying standards, reinforcing her steady progress towards the national stage.
Long jump return for Rose
After a six-year break from the event, Rose Cajetan returned to the long jump, recording 4.50m in her first competitive appearance since 2019 — an encouraging sign as she continues to develop across multiple events.
Jasmine and Milla show emerging talent
Young athletes also delivered impressive performances:
- Jasmine Smyth produced personal bests in the 100m, 200m and Long Jump, with a 3.84m jump and strong sprint improvements.
- Milla Golack ran 14.53s (100m) and 30.57s (200m) — performances that would have won the ACT Championship finals in both events at this year’s Capital Athletics Underage Championships.
Building momentum towards Nationals
Across the squad, the evening reflected exactly what FAST Running aims to achieve — consistent improvement, intelligent competition exposure, and performances trending upward at the right time of the season.
With multiple personal bests, national qualifiers, and emerging talent stepping forward, the FAST athletes continue to build momentum as the squad now turns its focus toward state competitions and the Australian Athletics Nationals in April.
Running Excellence.
Event 1012 Mixed 100 Metre Sprint AACT Pool 1
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Comp# Name Year Team Finals Points
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7 #2049 Blood, Sam 09 Ginninderra Athl-AU 11.40
5 #2521 Ainsworth, Lewin 11 Gungahlin Aths-AUS 12.06
9 #4268 Valzano, Chris 05 Woden Athletics-AUS 12.82
3 #2213 Ador, Cecilia 09 Ginninderra Athl-AU 12.39
7 #5077 Cajetan, Rose Zill 00 Ginninderra Athl-AU 13.45
2 #2522 Ainsworth, Sam 13 Gungahlin Aths-AUS 13.95
3 #1896 Smyth, Jasmine 11 Corroboree Athle-AU 14.48
4 #3899 Golack, Milla 15 Woden Athletics-AUS 14.53
Event 1015 Mixed 200 Metre Sprint AACT Pool 1
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Comp# Name Year Team Finals Points
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3 #2083 Nwaobi, Daniel 09 Ginninderra Athl-AU 22.47
5 #2049 Blood, Sam 09 Ginninderra Athl-AU 23.10
2 #2213 Ador, Cecilia 09 Ginninderra Athl-AU 25.36
4 #3899 Golack, Milla 15 Woden Athletics-AUS 30.57
5 #1896 Smyth, Jasmine 11 Corroboree Athle-AU 31.17
2 #2521 Ainsworth, Lewin 11 Gungahlin Aths-AUS 24.51
Event 1016 Mixed 400 Metre Sprint AACT Pool 1
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Comp# Name Year Team Finals Points
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5 #3897 Madigan, Thomas 10 Woden Athletics-AUS 51.41
1 #4268 Valzano, Chris 05 Woden Athletics-AUS 55.81
4 #3843 Johnson, Julien 10 Woden Athletics-AUS 59.27
1 #2932 Barrett, Ellie 90 North Canberra G-AU 1:02.86
3 #5098 Vijayakumar, Sanjna 13 Ginninderra Athl-AU 1:15.79
Event 1017 Mixed 1500 Metre Run AACT Pool 1
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Comp# Name Year Team Finals Points
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1 #4002 Prstec, Chloe 11 Woden Athletics-AUS 4:51.30
Event 1001 Mixed 200 Metre Hurdles 76.2cm AA Spec 3
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Comp# Name Year Team Finals
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3 #2522 Ainsworth, Sam 13 Gungahlin Aths-AUS 35.47
Event 2033 Mixed Long Jump < 5.00 Metre AACT Pool 2
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Name Year Team Finals Wind Points
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4 Golack, Milla 15 Woden Athletics-AUS 3.58m +0.0
3.58m(+0.0) 3.20m(+0.0) 3.55m(+0.0) PASS
1 Smyth, Jasmine 11 Corroboree Athle-AU 3.84m -0.2
3.55m(2.2) 3.78m(+0.0) PASS 3.84m(-0.2)
1 Cajetan, Rose Zillar 00 Ginninderra Athl-AU 4.50m +0.0
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