Cumbrian athlete Tara Simpson-Sullivan has added another gold medal to her list of accolades in the USA.
The 23-year-old triumphed at the 2024 American Athletic Indoor Track and Field Championship.
Simpson-Sullivan, from Lowther, came out on top in the women’s weight throw with a distance of 21.14m.
It meant the athlete, representing Rice University, has won four out of five titles with the latest coming in her final year.
Simpson-Sullivan’s winning throw put her ahead of nearest rival Isabella Simonelli, who threw 19.29m.
Tara wins her fourth Weight Throw Championship, her first in the AAC!!! She is tremendous!!! pic.twitter.com/Wx4cyAg2Q2
— Jim Bevan (@CoachJimBevan) February 24, 2024
Her title in Birmingham, Alabama, comes soon after another gold medal in the weight throw at the Robert Platt Invitational in Houston.
Simpson-Sullivan, speaking via ESPN, said: “I think with this being my last indoor season, I was very excited, I was a little bit nervous, [as you are] going into any international event.
“But as I went into my final throw I almost shed a tear. I was, ‘Ok, this is my last one’.
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“I just wanted to soak it all up because you really don’t get another chance like this ever again.”
Her exploits in the American ITF Championships helped Rice’s women to second place in the team table.
Simpson-Sullivan, who attended Ullswater Community College in Penrith, has been studying at the Texan university since 2019, and in 2021 became British hammer champion on her debut at the national championships.
Last year she took bronze in the hammer at the British Senior Championships.
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