CITY of Plymouth’s Poppy Tank set a new mile personal best at the Trojan Invitational Meet in Los Angeles.
Tank, competing for Utah University in California, won her race in a time of 4.55.10. In a great finish she took victory by one hundredth of a second.
She was also fifth overall on times out of the two sections competing at the USC Loker Stadium.
It was her third PB of the year, having twice set new 3,000m marks.
Meanwhile, Tavistock’s Tess Masselink made her track debut in America at the weekend.
Masselink, in the first year of studying at the College of Charleston, finished 12th in her 3,000m race at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational in Myrtle Beach. She clocked 11:01.53.
Closer to home, Mount Kelly College’s Oliver Smart claimed a top 20 finish at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships in Leeds on Saturday, despite suffering a bad fall and an injury on the first bend.
Smart, in his first year at intermediate boys’ level, finished 17th in the cold, mud and snow at Temple Newsam. Afterwards he needed stitches in a leg wound (pictured) after getting trampled on when he fell.
Smart dropped all the way down the field, but managed to work his way through hundreds of runners back up to the leading pack. He was Devon’s top finisher in all six races in West Yorkshire.
Full results from the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships can be found HERE.