Boh Ritchie with her 1500m gold medal at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre.
Tamahere runner Boh Ritchie, 15, has burst onto the international athletics scene, winning gold at the 2022 Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney.
The St Peter’s School, Cambridge student also smashed six seconds off her personal best time.
She finished the race in 4m27s, two seconds under the qualifying time for this year’s World U20 Athletics Championships. She is too young to compete there this year – the cut off age is 16 – but her sights are firmly set on the 2024 event.
Coach Ange Russek, assistant director of sport at St Peter’s, applauded Boh’s race tactics and composure on the track.
“In any sport a 15-year-old meeting an U20 target is a pretty huge achievement.”
Boh said she was “a bit nervous” before the race at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre because the track and stadium were so big.
She started strongly and by the 300m mark she’d surged into the lead.
“I knew if they hadn’t passed me by the last 150 I had it in the bag because I have a strong 150m to finish.”
Ange said it had been exciting watching from the stands with Boh’s mum Sarah and two brothers Mat and Dan.
“It was exciting to be over here with them and see their excitement because families are the ones that go through the highs and lows on a day to day basis.”
Watch Boh’s gold medal race in Sydney.
