Sport: Merlin Tzaros 

Qualifies for National Cross Country Championship

 

Congratulations to Year 11 student Merlin Tzaros, who finished 4th on Saturday at the Athletics Victoria All Schools Cross CountryState Championships at Bundoora, to qualify for the National Championships.

 

The 16-year old bottom-ager ran a time of 18:01 in the Under 18 6km event, to be 4th of 90 competitors, many of whom are well over a year older. 

 

Also of note is that, as Merlin has been concentrating on Triathlon with a heavy training focus on Cycling and Swimming, many of these runners have been doing much heavier running loads than he has.

 

The multiple-time Cross Country State Team member will now race at the Australian Athletics 2025 All Schools Nationals in Ballarat on August 25th. He last  year won Silver as part of the Victorian team at the event in Tasmania.

 

He will also race at the School Sport Victoria State Championships in Melbourne on July 24th. He hasn't bene able to compete there since 2022 three years ago, when he won Silver.

 

In October, he will also compete at the World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong, NSW, after becoming the Australian Champion Triathlete at the AusTriathlon 2025 National Titles on the Gold Coast in April. 

 

He also became a National Champion in the Aquathlon at the School Sport Australia All Schools Nationals in Perth in March. He also claimed a team Australian Championship that weekend as part of the Victorian Triathlon team.

 

We also can’t wait to see him run at our school Athletics Carnival on August 5th, where last year he shattered our all-time 1500m track record, then the all-time Upper Hume 1500m and 3000m records, on his way to the State Silver medal in the 3000m.

 

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator