Cassie Purdon
IPSWICH and District Athletic Club high jumper Cassie Purdon returns home this week rated top five in the world.
Purdon, 17, impressed in the World Junior Championships final in Oregon, USA, jumping 1.85m.
“She has had a brilliant tour,” coach Bailey Pashley said of the dedicated athlete from Rosewood.
“In her first comp, the day after arrival in Canada, she cleared 1.81.
“Then in a high profile meet, she jumped 1.84 for first place and received a prize of $500.”
Purdon’s next competition was the qualifying round in Oregon, where she achieved the 1.85m standard needed.
“She felt she was going so well that another personal best would be achievable,” Pashley said.
Purdon jumped 1.73, 1.78, 1.82, 1.85 at her first attempts before missing out at 1.88m.
“Maybe now she is a little disappointed but the fifth placing makes her one of the best performers in the team,” Purdon’s long-time coach said.
Morgan Lake, of Great Britain, won the high jump with a leap of 1.93m. Lake finished ahead of the Czech Republic’s Michaela Hruba (1.91), Russian Irina Ilieva (1.88) and American Rachel McCoy (1.88).
Purdon’s Ipswich club teammate Filoi Aokuso finished seventh in the discus final with a personal best 52.33m throw.
Medal winners in the discus were Brazil’s Izabela Da Silva (55.96m), Germany’s Claudine Vita (53.66) and Spain’s June Kintana (52.70).
