The 2022 UNSW Athletics Uni Nationals team, Credit - Arc Sport.
2022 UNSW Athletics Uni Nationals team, Credit - Arc Sport UNSW.
BY DAVID GAVIN

Ben Lexcen scholars Genevieve Cowie, Paralympian Tamsin Colley and Prue Watt scholar James Tirado all took home double gold from last week’s Uni Nationals on the Gold Coast.

Cowie claimed four medals at the Uni Sport Athletics Nationals helping UNSW women to fourth on the overall team rankings.

The Science student claimed gold in her pet event of the 400 metre hurdles and in the 400m flat, plus two silvers in the 4x400m women’s and mixed relays.

Colley and Tirado claimed double gold in the women’s and men’s para 100m and 200m sprints respectively, as well as competing admirably in open age competition across the three days.

Commerce student Liam Webb joined them all as gold medalists winning the 400 metre men’s open final. He also claimed silver in the men’s 4x400m relay and was fifth in the men’s 200 metres.

Gen Cowie and Liam Webb, Credit - Arc Sport.
Gen Cowie and Liam Webb, Credit - Arc Sport UNSW.

 

Again, UNSW’s team of 14 athletes defied the odds against powerhouse rivals such as University of Sydney boasting 46 student athletes, winning 13 medals including seven gold.

UNSW’s women finished in the top four for the second successive year, while the men were seventh but less than 20 points from a top five finish.

In total, the men won six medals including a bronze to long jumper Kobi Sharp and silver in the mixed relay.

Final year student Susie Douglas, with bronze behind Cowie in the 400 metre hurdles, and 100m hurdles silver medallist Sophia Cibei, were the other UNSW athletes to take away individual medals.

Jessica Guo finished fifth in the women’s 5,000 metres and was part of the 4x400m women’s relay.

Nearly 400 students represented 38 Australian universities at the track and field event.

UniSport CEO, Mark Sinderberry was delighted to see so many student-athletes competing in the event. 

“This has been the largest athletics competition since 2017 and continues to confirm a strong interest for the return of sporting events amongst the university community,” Sinderberry said.

Max Holmes, Luke Mckay, Gen Cowie and Susie Douglas. Credit - Arc Sport
Max Holmes, Luke McKay, Gen Cowie and Susie Douglas with their 4x400m mixed relay silver medals, Credit - Arc Sport UNSW.

 

Uni Nationals Athletics, Gold Coast – April 19-21, 2022

Gen Cowie (1st place), Women’s Open 400m

Gen Cowie (1st place), Women’s Open 400m hurdles

Tamsin Colley (1st place), Women’s Para 100m 

Tamsin Colley (1st place), Women’s Para 200m

James Tirado (1st place), Men’s Para 100m

James Tirado (1st place), Men’s Para 200m

Liam Webb (1st place), Men’s Open 400m

Susie Douglas, Sophia Cibei, Jessica Guo, Gen Cowie (2nd place), Women’s 4x400m relay

Luke McKay, Noah Krecklenberg, Ben Muston, Liam Webb (2nd place), Men’s 4x400m relay

Max Holmes, Gen Cowie, Susie Douglas, Luke McKay (2nd place), Mixed 4x400m relay

Sophia Cibei (2nd place), Women’s Open 100m hurdles

Susie Douglas (3rd place), Women’s Open 400m hurdles

Kobi Sharp (3rd place), Men’s Long Jump