Brunswick’s Thomas Cross and West Track Club A men’s teammates break State relay record

Brunswick runner Thomas Cross has turned his individual form into team success — breaking the 4x400m U16 State relay record by almost 10 seconds. Cross and his West Track Club A men’s teammates broke the record at the WA State Relay Championships at the WA Athletics Stadium Perth earlier this month. The quartet of Cross, Kayel Ascoli, Bob Silvioo and Jordan Hamilton recorded a time of 3min. 26.42sec., beating the previous record of 3:36.32. The 15-year-old Brunswick product and his teammates are now just five seconds off the U18 record of 3:21.07, which they hope to break next year. Cross said he appreciated the team event because of the camaraderie created by working together. The 15-year-old said although he raced against his teammates throughout the season, they all trained at the same club and were always pushing each other to be their best. “We are always competing against each other, but at the same time, because we train together so often, it is so rewarding just to be in a race together,” he said. “We’re encouraging each other, so when we come into a team it is already there. “Even though it is an individual event, we have sort of been a team already.”