A Highlands polevaulter has reached new heights in her latest competition.
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Alice Hamlen competed at the 2017 National Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park on April 1.
She represented NSW against 12 other girls from Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, and South Australia.
The event marked Alice’s comeback after she broke her leg training for hurdles last year.
Alice is keener than ever to restart proper training. Her training will will start when the new track is finished at Beaton Park (in Wollongong) at the end of May.
- Alice's father Derek Hamlen
She only had limited training in the lead-up to the event, but with her drive and enthusiasm she was able to secure a new personal best.
She set her new PB of 2.40m (previously 2.30m) and just missed 2.55m by a whisker, which awarded her in sixth position with three other competitors.
Alice’s father Derek Hamlen said his daughter was happy with her new personal best after her return to the track.
“She is keener than ever to restart proper training,” he said.
“Her training will will start when the new track is finished at Beaton Park (in Wollongong) at the end of May.”
At only 13 years of age, Alice has already made waves on the athletics track.
In October she competed at the NSW All Schools Track and Field Championships and placed fifth overall but won the gold medal for her age group.
At the same meet, Alice competed in the 80m hurdles and finished seventh in the state.
The young athlete has set herself the goal of excelling as a heptathlete.
The Heptathlon is an athletic competition in which athletes compete in seven different track and field events over a period of two days.
At the NSW All Schools event Alice placed fifth in the 90m hurdles, fourth in the javelin, she set new personal bests in the 200m, 800m and long jump which meant she achieved ninth place overall in the her first heptathlon.
Alice’s athletics achievements were recognised by the Berrima District Sports Awards committee last year.
Alice won the junior award for the month of October in 2016.