Smashing effort earns Charlize gold and bonus win with mum


Ipswich and District Athletic Club heptathletes Toby Stolberg, gold medal winner Charlize Goody, Sophie Wilkins and Abbey Severinsen.

MULTI-talented Ipswich athlete Charlize Goody received an added holiday bonus for winning a gold medal at the latest Queensland Combined Events Championships.

She earnt a reward from her supportive mum Kym after an impressive personal best performance in the heptathlon at QSAC last weekend.

“I was kind of aiming for that because I had a bet with my mum,” Charlize said.

“If I got over 4850 points, which I did, I get to go to Bribie (Island) and see one of my friends from school.”

Charlize won her gold medal in the under-16 heptathlon with 4937 points.  The Ipswich and District Athletic Club (IDAC) all-rounder smashed her previous best total of 4610.

Queensland Combined Events gold medal winner Charlize Goody.

Charlize produced superb personal best performances in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump and the 800m.

However, knocking five seconds off her previous best 800m run stretched the teenager.

“The effort had its toll as Charlize was a sick young lady before she was fully recovered,” IDAC president Vic Pascoe said.

“They were simply amazing performances as all her hard work at training has paid off.”

Charlize said the 800m was the toughest.

“It was the worst,” she said.  “In the last 100m, I completely died and was nearly walking.

“I went out a bit too hard.”

After previously rating the javelin her favourite event, she now likes shot put more.  She also surprised herself in the high jump.

Her gritty overall effort secured her a second state title, having won another Queensland heptathlon medal earlier in the year.

Having just finished year 9 at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, Charlize will enjoy a short break before stepping up training for the nationals in Melbourne in March.

She mainly works with coaches Mark Sills and Mick Moore at the Ipswich club.

Charlize shared in the Ipswich and District Athletic Club’s latest two-day competition success where four competitors won medals ― in four different age groups.

Under-15 state heptathlon silver medal winner Toby Stolberg.

Toby Stolberg clinched the silver medal in the under-15 heptathlon with 3668 points.  She bettered her previous best 3430 points.

Toby was in the largest field of competitors.

The representative basketballer and netballer displayed her all-round talents setting athletic personal bests in the 200m, shot put and 800m.  She had an equal personal best in the high jump.

“She is a joy as a daughter but also a joy to coach,” club vice-president Theresa Stolberg said.

“She tries her best all the times with a smile on her face.  She manages to fit in her rep basketball commitments and a netball game each week around her love of athletics.

“So proud of her . . . her determination and focus on long-term development is a credit to her.”

Under-20 state heptathlon bronze medal winner Laylani Va’ai.

Laylani Va’ai won a bronze medal in the under-20 heptathlon with a total score of 3920 points, just below her personal best of 3958.

She impressed having to use the extra weight in the shot put (4kg), especially as Laylani competed in an older age group.  She turns 17 on December 29.

Laylani is preparing for the Australian Championships scheduled for April in Sydney.

At the state titles, she had personal bests in the 100m hurdles, shot put and long jump.

Sophie Wilkins added a bronze in the under-17 heptathlon with a total of 3995 points.  That improved on her previous best of 3708 points from last championships.

Sophie achieved personal bests in high jump, 200m, long jump, and the 800m.

“It was amazing to see her coming fourth until the last event, the 800m, where she ran like the wind to gain the bronze medal,” Pascoe said.

Bronze medal winner Sophie Wilkins.

Abbie Severinsen finished sixth in the under-15 heptathlon with 3012 points.

She beat her previous best of 2805 points.

At her first attempt in heptathlon, Maddie Newham finished 11th (1931 points) in the hotly contested under-15 event.

She produced a personal best in the javelin.

That came after she won a silver medal in freestyle at the Queensland Swimming Championships the previous week.

Ipswich club training resumes on January 4.