Nelson and Clarke target Rio

Runners Ella Nelson and Josh Clarke have both moved a step closer towards Olympic representation after clocking Rio 2016 qualifiers at the ACT Athletics Championships.

Nelson clocked a time of 22.84 in the women’s 200m to notch the qualifying time while also setting a new personal best (PB) and a maiden run under 23 seconds.

“I was always going to go for it in the heat, the conditions were perfect so I just had a crack. I was so nervous beforehand but controlled it well, focused on what I had to do and put my head down,” Nelson said to Athletics Australia (AA).

Not to be outdone, fellow NSWIS athlete Clarke continued his rise by posting 10.15 seconds in the men’s 100m to set a new PB and claim his first Rio qualifier.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, it’s still fresh. I was up in the air about coming down and when I heard they would accommodate back straight starts I thought why not and it paid off. A huge thanks to all those that made a tailwind possible for us, it was worth the trip down,” Clarke said to AA post-race.

NSWIS athlete Alex Hulley also achieved success at the championships by winning the women’s U20 hammer throw with an Australian record 63.76m, securing an IAAF World U20 Championships qualifier in the process.

Elsewhere, Rio-bound runner Eloise Wellings posted a new personal best of 1:09.28 to place third in the Marugame Half Marathon.