Western Athletics runner Morgan Mitchell has smashed her 400 metres personal best time and ran an Olympic qualifying time in the process.
The 21-year-old star could be on her way to this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after clocking 52.04 in the 400 metres at the Hunter Track Classic in Newcastle – 0.25 seconds better than her previous best at the distance.
Mitchell stormed across the line ahead of Monica Brennan (Victoria) and Molly Blakey (NSW).
“That was amazing,” Mitchell said. “Conditions were perfect and I pulled it off, so I am really happy.”
She said she had run well at the Newcastle track previously and had been hoping for a time of 51 seconds – but it wasn’t to be.
“Seriously though, a personal best is great,” she said. “There is tough competition in the women’s 400 metres … I want the individual spot in Rio and am happy to keep working for it.”
In other Western Athletics news, it was a great weekend for the club at the Athletics Victoria Shield Championships at Lakeside Athletics Track.
Western had four teams – women 40-plus, girls under-14 and boys under-14 and under-16 – competing in the finals. All had previously won yellow zone (north-west region) premierships. The boys under-14 and under-16 teams backed up by winning AV Shield premierships. The under-16 was clinched with a relay win over Diamond Valley by 0.5 seconds.
The under-14s also cemented back-to-back state titles also with a relay victory.
There were podium finishes for the under-14 girls, who came second, and the 40-plus women, who came third.
In the country championships in Geelong last month, Western Athletics returned home with 13 medals, including five gold medals.
Allan Cook contributed two of the golds with victories in the 50-plus 400 metres and 800 metres. Liam Cashin’s winning time of 15 minutes 39 seconds in the 5000 metres was a national qualifying time.
There were also national qualifying times for Teagan Newman, who won the hammer throw with a distance of 41.88 metres, and Nicholas Masini, who won gold in the pole vault with a height of 3.95 metres.
Tony Bradford was the oldest athlete at the event. The 76-year-old competed in the 60-plus age group against athletes more than 10 years younger. He made the 100-metre and 200-metre finals and was fourth in the discus.
