Blake continues blitz on records

LEE-ANNE Blake, Amanzimtoti Athletics Club’s 2014 athlete of the year, continued on from her record performances of late when she competed at the NWU-Pukke schools top 30 athletics meeting in Potchefstroom over the weekend.

She ran as an athlete invited by the organisers to provide more competition to the top athletes and was the only KZN athlete at the meeting.

This is the largest schools athletics meeting in the country, with a total of 1,777 participants over the weekend of 23 and 24 October.

Only the best athletics schools and the top schools athletes in the country compete. Lee-anne was invited to compete in the girls U15 800m to provide more competition despite actually being a year younger. Running in her Kingsway High colours, she won the race and in the process beat the 2015 girls U15 SA 800m champion, in a new meeting record time of 2.12.56.

The next day she won the girls U14 400m event in searing heat and strong wind, coming from behind to finish very strongly, with another new meeting record and personal best time of 57.83. In both races, Lee-anne showed tactical prowess that only very experienced athletes manage. Both performances earned her over 1,000 points on the points table used by organisers to compare performances, for which she received a special ‘1,000 points club’ medal.