Some of the best athletes in the state took to Barden Park on Friday afternoon as the NSW Athletics Country Championships kicked off.
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Shotput was the first event of the carnival with a healthy crowd in attendance almost immediately.
Gosford’s Kelly Hunter was one to set the early standard, launching her shotput 11.11m in round two of the women’s 30-39 years competition.
“It’s good and good to get started and I really like this track,” she said.
“I’m going well and it’s pretty close to a P.B so it’s a good start.”
A big part of the Championships, according to Hunter, is the camaraderie between all the competitors.
Hunter was passing on tips to her rivals while there was plenty of support for each of the leading efforts.
“Everyone is really friendly,” Hunter said.
“We all help each other out and have a laugh, that’s all part of it.”
After beginning on Friday, the competition resumes from 8.15am on Saturday morning and runs right through to roughly 9pm that night. The final day of competition is Sunday, with events running from 8am to roughly 2pm.
More than 500 people are expected to compete at the Championships, which is being held west of the mountains for the first time.