Athletics: Youth Championship-Woodcock raises the bar again |23 May 2005

After a lean spell which followed his then personal best of 2.08 metres achieved on February 5 this year, Praslinois Woodcock proved that he is back to his best, clearing the bar at 2.11 metres at the second attempt for a new Seychelles junior high jump record.

The previous record of 2.10m (set in South Africa on April 14, 1993) was held by senior record holder Eugène Ernesta (2.20 metres) who won a bronze medal in the regional division of the Skyline Tours & Travel International Meet with a bar of 2 metres.

Woodcock was unsuccessful in two attempts at 2.15 metres and he preferred to let the success sink in by calling it a day after a job well done.

In a little less than a year since taking up athletics, Woodcock, 17, has gone from 2 metres in his first competition to 2.11 metres and he attributes his success to hard training.

“I’m very happy with the record. I’m training regularly, four or five times weekly with coach Valentina (Avilova). I want the senior record and I believe that if I get the techniques right, I can raise the bar higher than 2.20m metres,” said Woodcock.

Another high jumper, Hazeron Etienne, cleared the bar at 2 metres for the first time in his young career for a personal best.

On the track, female youth category sprinter Sabrina Laurence remained unbeaten in the sprints, winning both the 100 metres (12.6 seconds) and 200 metres (26-1 seconds).

G. G.