Over the past few weeks, young athlete Janet McGee has quietly been reaching her peak on the track.
Janet is coached by Welsh national coach Roy Jones and advised by Wallasey's Doug Hanna.
Several weeks ago Roy was asked by the Welsh A.A.A. to invite Janet to compete as a guest in an international, meeting between Denmark and Wales and various guests from other countries. The games were held in Cwmbran and it was Janet's first taste of senior international competition in her first year as a senior. But Janet was not overawed by the occasion, the crowds or the TV cameras and ran the race of her young life to be the first British girl home behind the two Danes, in third place.
She reduced her personal best time for 800m from 2 min 12 sec to 2 min 9 sec.
It was fitting that both Roy and Doug were present to see their hard work with Janet pay off in such a magnificent manner.
Janet thought that this was to be the end of her season, but a surprise letter arrived last week inviting Janet to run in a B.M.C. 800m relay in Enfield, Middlesex.
The British Milers Club is a very prestigious club to which only the best athletes in the country may belong. When Janet arrived in Enfield, it was to discover that she was running for the national B.M.C. team against regional B.M.C. team.
When Janet took over on the second leg of the 3 x 800m relay, she was 40 metres adrift of the leader but in appalling conditions of howling gale and torrential rain, she gradually clawed the gap and handed over in first place.
The team went on to win and were presented with a medal and a bouquet of flowers. This all expenses paid trip was a fitting climax to the hard work that Janet has put in throughout the year.
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Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 24/09/1983
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