The next great Australian hurdler has arrived in full force, with Delta Amidzovski smashing Sally Pearson’s 20-year Australian under-18, 100-metre hurdles record.
At just 16-years of age, Amidzovski hit a time of 13.02 seconds in the event on Sunday at the Australian junior championships in Brisbane. This is 0.12 seconds faster than the previous record of Pearson, a London Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion, which was made in 2003.
After the electrifying win, Amidzovski described how the race felt, saying, “You put in so much hard work and [to] see it all pay off. It’s an indescribable feeling.”
“Sally has always been an idol. She’s the best Australian hurdler of all time, so to break her record is a dream come true for any athlete.”
Amidzovski, who also won gold in the championship’s under-18 long jump, came into the 100-metre hurdle event with a personal best of 13.42 seconds. She said the record only came onto her radar when she arrived in Brisbane, but she decided to go for it.
“I hadn’t really looked [at the record] until I got here, but my dad just said go for it,” said Amidzovski.
“I didn’t think I would [beat the record] but the fact that I did it, I’m really happy. I’ve got a while to keep improving on this.”