Warrnambool athletes receive Clinton Hall Excellence awards

Six budding Warrnambool-based athletes - basketballer Gano Akoch, cross-country runner Rylee Foreman, sprint and middle distance runner Sophie Burrows and sisters Tilly, Lola and Maisie Paton, who compete in aerial aerobics - have received Clinton Hall Excellence Award grants to help in their chosen sports.

The grants, ranging from $350 to $500, will help the grateful youngsters pay for travel costs, equipment and training.

Hally's Run organiser Jacob Rhodes, who collaborated with South West Sport, said it was pleasing his friend's legacy would be helping others.

"It was emotional straight after the run (in December 2022) and the family have been through some tough times the past 12 months, so something like this means we can remember him and how good an athlete he was," he said.

"All the recipients are budding athletes coming through."

Akoch, 12, travelled with the Victorian team to the School Sport Australia under 12 basketball championships in Western Australia in August as a sub.

The Emmanuel College student, who plays as a point guard, said it was a worthwhile trek and one he hoped would lead to further opportunities.

"It was a really good experience, we won gold up there and it was good to watch a really high level of basketball at the junior level," he said.

"It was a pretty good experience but I'd rather be in the team and it tells me that I need to work harder to get into the actual team next time."

Akoch, who also plays football for South Warrnambool, will start his representative season with Warrnambool Seahawks this weekend in Echuca.

The team will contest competitions across Victoria from October 2023 to April 2024.

"I'm hoping to achieve going to country champs and winning it," he said of his season goal.

Foreman, 14, is committed to improving her cross-country times.

"I have always liked to run and I wanted to see how far I could go with it," the Emmanuel College student said.

"I only got an interest in year six when I ran cross-country and I started getting a bit better.

"I am hoping to bring my time for 3km down to 11 minutes this coming year."

The Paton siblings are working towards the aerial aerobics national titles in Queensland in January 2024 and train regularly at PhysiPole in Warrnambool.

Tilly, 14, Lola, 11, and Maisie, 8, use apparatus such as aerial hoops and silks in competition, describing it "as gymnastics in the air".

"You train pretty much every day," Emmanuel College student Tilly said.

Burrows, 13, has benchmarks she'd like to achieve in the upcoming athletics season.

"To remake the under 14 final (at the Stawell Gift) again and maybe win it," the Warrnambool College student said.

The second Hally's Run is locked in for Sunday, December 3, 2023.

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