01.02.2010

World record to Ellery in Canberra

Dual Paralympian Louise Ellery has set a new world record in the F32 seated shot put event at the Australia Cup meet in Canberra at the weekend, becoming the first athlete in her category to break the elusive six metre-mark.
 
Representing the ACT, Ellery launched the shot 6.09m on her sixth and final attempt to obliterate the previous world mark of 5.79m.
 
Opening her campaign with a heave of 5.75m, Ellery recorded distances of 5.97m, 5.87m, 5.91m and 5.50m before launching the world record shot to round out her performance.
 
Ellery, a dual Paralympian who finished sixth at both the Athens and Beijing Paralympic Games, walked away from the opening round of the Australian Athletics Tour on the best possible note, etching her name into the history books in emphatic fashion. 
 
Ellery’s performance is likely to have gained her an A-qualifying mark for the 2011 IPC World Championships, qualification standards for which are yet to be announced.
 
Ellery will compete in a combined class event at next year’s IPC world titles (F32/33/34 shot put), the IPC yet to determine a classification system for athletes in combined classes.
 
The newly-crowned world record-holder was joined by 10 other Paralympians in action at Saturday’s Australia Cup meet, including Beijing Paralympic medallists Katherine Proudfoot (silver, F36 discus throw) of the AIS, and Maddy Hogan (bronze, F46 javelin throw) and Jodi Willis-Roberts (bronze, F12 shot put), both of the VIS.
 
Headlining the results at the AIS track, Hogan posted a B-qualifying standard to go with the A-qualifier she recorded in Blacktown (NSW) at the National Underage and Open Championships two weeks ago.
 
Willis-Roberts secured a B-qualifying standard to cap the action on a hot and blustery night at the Canberra track.
 
The Australian Athletics Tour now moves north for the Brisbane Athletics Classic at QSAC this Saturday, February 6. Tickets at the gate – see you there!