Geraldton’s Ella Batten takes out silver at the WA State Athletics Heptathlon Championships

Mid West Academy of Sports athlete Ella Batten has won silver medal at the WA State Athletics Heptathlon Championships. The young athletics star went into the under 20 division as the favourite following her second place finish at the National Championships earlier this year. A win in both the 100m hurdles and the high jump put her in good standings, ending the first day leading the competition after four events. A third place finish in the long jump was followed up by a new personal best in the javelin throw, with a distance of 34m. Batten was still sitting in first with one event left, but a third place finish in the 800m sprint caused her to fall to second overall. Her score of 4028 points at the end of the event was 182 short of first place. Academy coach Gary Clark said Batten ran into troubles leading up to the championships. “She had a difficult lead-up to the competition with a bout of shin splints, which took its toll as the competition progressed” he said. While the silver medal is still a significant feat, Clark said that expectations were high for Batten and she still has a bright future. “A disappointing results for an athlete that started as the outright favourite,” he said. “The lead-up was not ideal, however as a 17-year-old she still has two years in the under 20 division, so she has a bright future in the heptathlon.” Batten will now look ahead to the Australian All Schools Championships in Perth, where she will compete in the high jump and 100m hurdles.