On the 4th and 5th of May, Melbourne High School ventured out to Lakeside Stadium for the annual Athletics Carnival, a fierce clash between our four houses, an arena in which friendships are born, camaraderie peaks and the spirit of competition burns bright. Day 1 welcomed us with pattering rain and stinging cold, which quickly receded to sunshine and clear skies, hailing all students to stand by the track and roar on their teammates as they ran by. A tight finish between all houses on the first day heralded an electrifying second day with plenty of action from the sprint finals to the steeplechase. And, as expected, Day 2 was thrilling. Multiple victories in the field events put Forrest House in an ideal position, with Waterloo’s distance-running supremacy placing them close behind. Impressive performances in the jumps and sprints made Como House a clear title contender… However, tearing down the home stretch in the relays, Yarra House prevailed once again, earning their 3rd consecutive Athletics victory.
The success of the Athletics carnival was on full display over these two days. There were spectacular individual performances in both the track and field events, such as William Wong breaking the 11 second mark (10.95) in the 100m sprint for the first time by any Melbourne High School student in the schools 118-year history. There were also hundreds of students competing and passionately supporting their houses for the change to be a part of Derrimut Cup glory. The importance of tradition and community was passed on to current students, with multiple old boys and ex-teachers coming to show their support at the event. Special thanks goes to Rhydian Cowley (MHS old boy and current Olympian) for coming down and passing on his wisdom to the athletes on the day.
A big thank you to the Athletics Victoria and Melbourne Sports Centres staff for their help in making the day run smoothly. A huge thank you goes also to Head of Sport Mr. Chandler and the MHS Staff whose unwavering support and hard work has consistently made this event special year after year.
