Taylor-Ashley Bean has done it again – she has broken the 800m Junior Women’s National record a second time within five days.
During what can be described as a golden season of middle distance running by Bean, the 5’ 2” tall set another Junior National Record at the Virginia Tech- Roanoke College Twilight in Salem, Virginia.
Bean clocked a scintillating time of 2:10.53 to better the 800m record (of 2:12.72) by more than two seconds that she set the past Sunday at Duke University. Bean finished second in the Twilight event with the winner etching a time of 2:10.33.
Coach Gerry Swan gave indication few days ago that Bean would run faster times, before the season is over, in at least two of the three events at which she has set junior national records to date. Bean’s performance last evening is certainly consistent to what Swan had forecast.
Bean has improved her 800m time on no less than four occasions within the past six weeks. Her recording breaking time run last evening has moved her to sixth (6th) place on the NCAA Division II national rankings list. Her current national ranking represents a jump upwards of 19 places since her Sunday record breaking performance.
Bean has set four (4) Junior National Record marks at three different distances within the past six week period. Her athletics odyssey has unfolded as follows:
1. Friday, March 30 – set a new 1500m record of 4:42.82 displacing the previous record (of 4:45.90) set
by older sister Alexis during 2009; the younger Bean set her mark at the Fred Hardy Invite in Richmond, Virginia;
2. Monday, April 9 –set a new 3000m record with a time of 10:22.82 from her silver medal performance
at the CARIFTA Games; that performance represented an improvement of more than 25 seconds to her
previous 3000m best time;
3. Sunday, May 6 – broke the 800m record with a time of 2:12.72 at Duke University, replacing the
former mark of 2:13.51 set by older sister Alexis in 2008;
4. Thursday, May 10 – ran a new 800m record of 2:10.53, bettering her previous junior national record
mark, set five days previously, by 2.19 seconds.
Bean has demonstrated the quality of middle distance running and record breaking performances by a junior female athlete that leaves no doubt that she is having a golden season.
|
