Emerging youngsters Lachlan O'Keefe, Alyssa Benbow, Fraser Saunder and Archie Caldow will be among hometown athletes to compete in the opening session at the Victorian Country Track and Field Championships in Ballarat on Friday night.
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The three-day meet at the Llanberris Reserve is Athletics Victoria's first major meet since the COVID-19 shutdown and paves the way for a series of major state and national events, including Zatopek:10 on Tuesday, and state track and field titles next month.
The country championships begin with 96 events, starting in the field with javelin and hammer throws from 3pm and on the track with 1500m walks at 4pm.
O'Keefe from Wendouree Athletic Club and Benbow (Eureka) will have their eyes on gold in the field.
O'Keefe claimed the under-16 boys' high jump title at Geelong last year and this time steps up to the under-18 division.
He has experience at national level and will also be competing in the open high jump and under-18 triple jump later in the meet.
Benbow begins a busy schedule in the under-16 girls' discus in one of the first events on Fruday night's program.
Benbow had enormous success at last year's country championships, winning four titles as Ballarat athletes collected more than 50 gold medals.
She stood on top of the podium in the under-14 girls' discus, shot put, hammer and javelin throws.
She is again contesting the four disciplines in her age group, with javelin and hammer on Saturday, and shot put on Sunday.
Saunder (YCW) and Caldow (Wendouree) have also competed in nationals.
Saunder's Friday night assignment is the men's under-20 5000m walk. He then backs up in the boys' under-18 3000m walk on Saturday.
Caldow kicks off with the boys' under-16 800m - a warm-up for the boys' under-16 3000m later on Friday evening.
He will be back up in the boys' under-16 1500m on Saturday.
More than 700 athletes, including 430 from country regions, have entered the championships, which will be run in four sessions, including two on Saturday and one on Sunday.
Ballarat Region Athletic Centre is organising the meet under COVIDsafe regulations.
The event will be limited to having 1000 patrons, including athletes, on site at any one time. Athletes are being urged to leave the centre once they have completed their commitments.
Friday's program will run until about 10pm. Events begin at 8.45am on Saturday.
