LAUNCESTON’S Abbey de la Motte helped Australia claim a bronze medal at the IAAF world relay championships in the Bahamas.
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The 20-year-old led out the Australian team in the women’s 4x800-metre relay on day two in Nassau, before world championships representative Kelly Hetherington took the baton in fourth place.
Fellow Victorian Selma Kajan maintained the team’s position across the third leg before Queensland’s national champion Brittany McGowan stormed home in the closing lap to move up and maintain the third spot in a time of 8:13.97 behind the US (8:00.62) and Poland (8:11.36).
‘‘I think we went out really strong, we were really confident and wanted to work well together as a team. We did that,’’ Kajan said.
Former Launceston Christian School student de la Motte and her teammates received their medals from British middle-distance great Seb Coe.
Although Hobart’s Sam Lind did not run, her teammates Caitlin Sargent, Jessica Gulli, Anneliese Rubie and Morgan Mitchell’s seventh place in the 4x400m final was enough to qualify an Australian team for next year’s Olympic Games.
In other Tasmanian athletics news, Hobart’s Tristan Thomas recovered from hitting the eighth barrier to clock 52.98 in the men’s 400m hurdles in Shizuoka, Japan.
The Canberra-based London Olympian will be joined by Hobart javelin thrower Hamish Peacock at the Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki on Sunday.
Meanwhile, de la Motte’s former national junior track championships teammate Jake Birtwhistle narrowly missed out to Victorian Liam Adams in a sprint finish to the Australian 10-kilometre road running championships in Sydney.
‘‘Was good to get out and have a dig,’’ Birtwhistle said on social media.
‘‘Congrats to Liam Adams for the win and Australian title, [he] just got me back by the line.’’
Tasmanians also savoured some impressive results in triathlons at the weekend.
In her debut in the professional ranks, Kate Pedley finished fifth at the Busselton 70.3 in 4.27.14, fellow Launceston athlete Dylan Hill was 13th professional and 19th overall in 4:08.31 and Hobart’s Hayden Armstrong (4.01.46) was first in the 35-39 age group and 13th overall.
Emma Smith (4.59.19) won the 18-24 age group and Nathan Jackson (4.21.34) was fifth in the 40-44s.
A strong contingent of Tasmanians took part in the 30th anniversary of Ironman Australia in Port Macquarie including Jonathan Cahill (9.59.16), Matthew Oliver (10.53.45), Paul Ranson (11.08.22), Mike Lavender (12.31.07), Anna Matthews (12.59.44) and Phil Lockwood (13.02.27).