Australian athletes have posted some impressive individual performances on the first day of the World Laser Run Championships in Bath, England, with the mens and relay events still to come.
Australia’s senior women, Aleska van Heekeren, Gaia Urbano and Genevieve Janse van Rensburg performed strongly in the team event taking the silver medal.
Coffs Harbour athlete, van Heekeren, finished 12th in the Senior final with a time of 13:06, closely followed by fellow Coffs athlete Urbano, who finished 18th in 14:53.
Zoe Addinsall (Vic) and Analiese Murphy (Qld) placed 13th and 15th respectively in the final of the U17 event, running 10:31 and 10:37 in a strong field dominated by the British. Improving on her performances last year, Peyton Lee (NSW), ran a PB in the U15 semi-final and knocked an astonishing 10 seconds off that in the final, crossing the line in 7:33 for 20th place. South Africa and Egypt were invincible in the U15 event, taking out the first 7 places between them.
Competing in her first international competition, Victorian youngster Ava Harrington ran a solid PB of 3:56 in the U13 semi-final, placing 19th in the final in 4:13. Known for her strong work ethic and fierce competitiveness, Ava is sure to use this event as a springboard to keep improving for next year.
Genevieve Janse van Rensburg (NSW) last year took home a bronze medal in the Junior category. With her eye now on selection for Paris in 2024, Gen won her semi-final in the Senior category in 12:12, but opted not to line up for the final, instead saving her energy for the upcoming Oceania Continental Championships in Cairo (28 August -2 September). Gen has been busy this year on the competition circuit, most recently placing 12th in the semi-final of the UIPM Pentathlon Challenger event in Poland.
Proving that last year was no flash-in-the-pan, masters athlete Vicky Craig (Vic) backed up with another sensational performance in the 60+ category, finishing in 5th position in 6:18.
Matilda Mason (Vic), Indigo Harris (NSW), Amalie Blanchard (Vic), Kayla Bongers (WA) and Alyssa Greening (Vic) all ran strongly in the semi-finals and have gained invaluable international experience. Most will have another opportunity to compete in the teams event on the last day of competition.
