Mid West athlete Ella Batten has strong showing at Heptathlon State championships

Mid West athlete Ella Batten proved she’s one to watch after coming away with silver at the State Track and Field Heptathlon Championships on the weekend. The Mid West Academy prospect finished behind last year’s winner Madison Esquivel from the West Track Club. Batten led the field in the first six disciplines only to go down in the final event, the 800m, by just eight seconds. Her coach Gary Clark said it was a great achievement for Batten registering PBs in all her seven events. “We can’t ask for more than that,” he said. “And it confirms our programs and processes are working.” Clark said Batten’s improved over the past six months through a strenuous strength and conditioning program, plyometrics and a solid winter plan. Batten excelled in all seven events over the two days with an excellent 15.56 100m hurdles, a brilliant 1.62m in the high jump, 9.72m shot-put and 28.7 200m on the first day. She followed this up with a 4.98m long jump, 28.77m javelin and 2m 42sec. 800m to score 4163 points just behind first-placed Esquivel on 4271 and in front of third-place getter Jasmine Crawley on 4123. Batten and Esquivel will now represent WA at the National Heptathlon Championships in Queensland in March next year. Clark said Batten had learnt much from her latest competition and believed there was still much more room for improvement which will see her perform well at the nationals in early 2023. Next weekend she will compete in the National All-Schools Championship in Adelaide in the high jump and 100m hurdles. Two other academy athletes, Nevaeh Hill and Christi Bestry, will also represent WA in these championships — Hill in the 100 and 400m hurdles and Bestry in the 2000m steeple and 3000m.