Horsham's Daisy Sudholz exceeded expectations on Sunday at a national athletics event in Perth.
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Competing against the best two competitors from every state and territory across Australia, Sudholz ran a personal best in the girls under-14 1500 metres to finish third and claim a bronze medal.
The St Brigid's student flew around the track with a time of 4 minutes and 43 seconds, besting her previous personal best by 13 seconds.
Sudholz said she was pleased with her performance in Perth, and enjoyed the weekend.
"It was all a really good experience," Sudholz said.
"I met some new friends from the Victorian team and all that.
"It was really nice in Perth. We got to go to the beach a bit as well."
While Sudholz enjoyed the weather off the track, the sweltering Perth heat fortunately subsided for her race on Sunday.
"It was actually good weather for my race. It wasn't too hot," Sudholz said.
"It was a little bit windy on the back straight of the race, but it was a really good experience."
Sudholz said she was proud to run a personal best.
"I beat my personal best by 13 seconds - I think it was a fast track, because the track was a bit harder than usual," she said.
Sudholz's time qualified her for the Australian Junior Championships to be held in Sydney in March.
It means the early starts will continue for at least a few more months.
Sudholz often wakes up at 5:30AM for a session in the gym before school.
Sudholz wanted to thank her two coaches, Horsham athletics coach Rick Price and personal trainer Tony Lloyd for all of their support.
"I'm going to keep training because in March I'll go to Sydney," Sudholz said.
"I do athletics with Rick and gym with Tony - both of them are great coaches.
"I do enjoy the training - (Tony) trains pretty hard but it's good, I love it."
Sudholz's Mum Emilia said she was proud of Daisy's effort.
"We are very thrilled for her," Emilia said.
"She puts in a lot of work behind the scenes. A lot of credit should go to her coaches as well."
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