It was a massive weekend for athletics in the North East, and local talent was at the forefront.

While Saturday saw the showgrounds packed for the Wangaratta Sports Carnival, there was another prestigious event being held further north, with the Quest Albury Victorian Country Athletics Championships running across Saturday 24, Sunday 25 and Monday 26 January.

For three days, the Les O’Brien Athletics Precinct saw 508 individual entries across 1526 registered events, and local runners were among the best in attendance.

It was a statement weekend for local up-and-coming athlete Christian Pasquali, who claimed gold in both the under 18 100m and 200m events.

Up against other country and metro athletes, Pasquali stormed past the post in 11.61 seconds (100m) and 22.99 seconds (200m) to set himself apart as one of the rising stars in the sport.

Pasquali said the build-up to the championships had been growing for months.

“Training has stepped up this year,” he said.

“My dad Wally has been coaching me, and I've been training with Dean Balfour who won the under 18 120m at the Wangaratta Gift.

“I have been racing a lot in the VAL [Victorian Athletics League] in the past few months, and Albury Country Champs was the first amateur meet I have raced in in four years since Little Aths.

“I really enjoyed it and happy with the wins.

“I am looking forward to the state championships in a few weeks’ time in Melbourne [Friday 13 – Sunday 15 February].”

Pasquali wasn’t the only local to shine at the meet, with rising javelin star Xavier Pitt claiming gold with a throw of 53.83m.