Athlete Sophie Marshall has stepped up to her ability and promise with strong performances in the 2019 season.
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Capped off by adding her name to the record books by setting the fastest time for an under-13 girl over 1500-metres, Sophie has been nominated for the Female Rising Star category of The Examiner's Junior Sports Awards.
In a busy period for the 12-year-old, she also placed fifth at the national cross-country championships in Woolongong three weeks before the record-breaking run, which took place in the steaming temperatures of Darwin.
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"I didn't really know [if the run was my best at the time] but I was concentrating so hard that I was really surprised when he rang the bell for the last lap," Sophie said about the run.
Sophie started running competitively at the age of eight under the tutelage of Liz Gray before taking out Scotch Oakburn's grade three cross-country and the state all-schools cross-country titles in 2016.
The next season brought another school victory, as well as a win in the division one track relay and a second-placed NIJSSA performance.
A first run on the national scene in 2017 saw Sophie finish 22nd at the Australia cross-country championships held in Rokeby in the South of the state after her fifth-placed finish at all-schools.
Building up to her breakout 2019 season, Sophie smashed a 21-year-old record in the NIJSSA 800-metre event by 10 seconds to show her pedigree.
Winners of the seven Junior Sports Awards categories will be announced on November 18 at Country Club Tasmania with invitations to be sent out soon.
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