Champion students excel

Champion students excel

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West Australian young athlete MJ Jansen van Rensburg competes in the steeplechase.

St Norbert College students MJ Jansen van Rensburg and Lubin Benedict have become national athletics champions after winning events at the 2017 Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney.

The students joined more than 3500 track and field athletes of all ages for the competition which ran from March 26 to April 2.

Against 22 of the best young athletes in Australia MJ won the under 18 men’s 2000-metre steeplechase event and Lubin won the under 16 men’s 200-metre hurdles.

MJ also came third in the under-16 men’s 2000-metre steeplechase and seventh in the under 16 men’s 3000-metres and under 18 men’s 1500-metres.

Lubin came seventh in the under 16 men’s 100-metres and in the under 16 100-metre hurdles.

The pair were joined by St Norbert College students Cooper Jenkins and Jaco Jansen van Rensburg also representing the state.

The competition was the largest annual athletics event in Australia and the Oceania-Pacific region.

St Norbert College principal Annette Morey said the school was proud of its students’ efforts.

“The school community takes pride in seeing its students excel in all fields whether it be academic, sport or the arts,” she said.

“It takes years of training and hard work to achieve what these young men have and we congratulate them on their outstanding efforts.”