Sport: Merlin State Champion

Wins Gold At S.S.V Cross Country, Our First Ever!

 

Congratulations to Year 11 student Merlin Tzaros who yesterday became the School Sport Victoria State Champion at the Cross Country Championships at the Yarra Valley Racecourse.

 

The 16-year won Gold in the 5000m event, with a time of 15:46.44 to win by 11 seconds in a field of 89 runners in the 17-20 age group, drawn from approximately 300 schools in Victoria. A super effort considering he was the youngest in the race, not turning 17 until late December, and with many of the Year 12s already 18.

 

Tzaros now has 3 SSV medals, including a 3000m Silver at last year’s Track & Field Championships, and a Silver at the 2022 Cross Country. Both occasions were the only other times he’s been able to compete at State Titles (due to injury, illness and Lockdowns).

 

Merlin moves into 10th all-time for our school in terms of SSV medals. See the various Honour Boards at our new Sport History section on our website:

https://whs.vic.edu.au/about/history/sporthistory/stateathleticschampions/

 

The Wangaratta West Primary School product is having a prosperous year. He was the AusTriathlon Australian Triathlon Champion in April on the Gold Coast. And the School Sport Australia Australian Aquathlon Champion in Perth in March.

 

The multiple-time VIC Triathlon State Series Triathlon State Champion will soon compete at the All Schools Cross Country Nationals in Ballarat, and the World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong in October as part of the Australian team. Not to mention our Athletics Carnival (5th August) where last year he ran the fastest 1500m time in our 100+ year history.

 

To illustrate the gravity of this achievement, we believe Merlin is the 1st W.H.S student to ever win State Gold at Cross Country. Our archives show Xanthea Dewez won Silver in 2013 as a Year 12, and Darren Brown got Bronze as a Year 7 in 1982, 43 years ago.

 

Merlin is our first SSV Gold Medalist since Athletics legend Jack Boulton won both the 200m and 400m in 2022 at Year 12. Boulton won 15 individual Gold in 4 years (2 years taken away by Lockdowns) and still holds 7 all-time State records - both the most ever in the history of Victorian school Track & Field. Boulton was also Australian Champion at 100m, 200m and 400m, including an Australian Record Holder at 400m.

 

Other results yesterday included:

 

Year 12 Phoebe Bosley - 24th of 70. Brave effort after being ill all week. A 40-postion jump from last year. She will race at the Athletics Victoria 10km event this Sunday in Melbourne.

 

Year 9 Clarence Lampa - 43rd of 93. An improvement of 20 places from 2024. Great effort after umpiring a full day of School Football the day prior, and a 14.1 Beep Test at school the day before that.

 

Year 9 Jed Murray - 71st of 93.

 

Year 8 Paige-Lee Dummett - 74th of 100 despite being sore from School Football the day prior.

 

Both Lampa and Dummett travel to the USA in Septemeber to race Cross Country as part of an Australian contingent competing in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

 

Thanks to all 5 runners and the families that supported them on a great day.

 

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator