The 19-year-old, who recently moved from Armidale to Gunnedah, was well placed early in the race when a "trip" resulted in him crashing into the steeple, his father, Scott, said.

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Scott said the teen was left with a "hole" in his mouth and his lip detached from the gum.

He said his son was slightly concussed after being knocked unconscious for a short period.

Geddes was treated at hospital, where he received 10 stitches but was cleared of fractures.

Scott said the hospital staff had "never seen anything like it".

"He hit the steeple pretty hard, and you could hear it through the athletic track," Scott said.

"He's okay. He's up walking around. He went back to the Australian camp."

The incident occurred at the water jump.

Scott said the incident had made his son "more determined" to succeed in the sport.

He said the outstanding junior had been on course to post a personal-best time and medal in the race, held on Thursday afternoon.

Geddes believes the fall "could have been a lot worse".

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"They had to do CT scans to make sure there were no fractures or breaks or I didn't need a face reconstruction," he said.

"So lucky in that way, but I was really hoping to finish the race strong. I was really strong up to that point [the crash]."

Geddes competed for Regional Australia in the open division at the same championships last year. He won the 800m and claimed silver and bronze in the 3000m and 3000m steeplechase, respectively.

This was his last year as a junior at the event.

Ahead of this year's championships, he told the Leader that relocating to Gunnedah with his family had resulted in a huge training adjustment for him.

Throughout his formative years he had trained under the well-credentialled Jay Stone at the Armidale Athletics Club but now trains alone - with long-distance support from Stone.

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