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Pace setter: Winner of the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints and 800m run at the ADF Track and Field championships, Capt Dee Jackson, shows her winning style.
Photos by Cpl Corinne Boer |
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FRIENDLY bantering between the Services quickly transformed into intense competition as ADF members contested the ADF Track and Field championships at Brisbane’s Queen Elizabeth II stadium, February 23-25.
Director of ADF team coaching Cpl Gary Ewart said numbers were down this year because of the ADF’s operational tempo, but that the battle on the track was definitely strong with the Army being the most ferocious.
One of the toughest competitors was Capt Dee-Ann Jackson who won the 100m and 400m sprint events on the Saturday, and backed that up with a 200m sprint win on the Sunday.
She also took out the 800m run.
“Capt Jackson is putting in a nice strong performance,” he said.
“Some of the athletes are here to qualify for the Arafura games in Darwin in May, and this is a preselection championship for that meet. Capt Jackson is keen to do a repeat of her winning performance last year”.
As temperatures climbed to 30C, winning was no sweat for Capt Jackson, as she took first place in the women’s 100m sprint with a time of 12.81.
She beat RAAF’s LACW Rosaleen Normoyle and fellow army team mate Cpl Rebecca Christou coming in third place.
The 30-year-old takes her sport seriously and her goal is to improve on her times at the Arafura games this year.
“I ran the Arafura games last year and I won it, but I was sick at the time so my time for the 400m sprint wasn’t my best,” she said.
Capt Jackson, who is the adjutant at HQ Australian Army Cadets Brigade based in Western Australia, trains with a coach up to six times a week. Her passion for sport began when she was at school competing in athletics events.
When she joined defence she played basketball and in 2004 she resumed athletics and joined the ADF track and field team.
Other top performances at the event included Pte Danielle Reyner placing first in the Javelin throw with 40.16m.
ON THE HORIZON
- For information on coming althletics events visit www.adf.coolrunning.com.au
- ADF 10km championship, March 30, Sydney.
- Arafura Games, May, Darwin.
- ADF Cross-Country, June, Sydney.
- Vanuatu Round Island Relay, July, Vanuatu.
- DAC training camp, July, Bandiana.
- City to Surf, August, Sydney.
- ADF Marathon, September, Sydney.
- Susan Classic Teams, December, Melbourne.
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