A fun week ahead for record breaker Imogen Stewart

There are few underage middle-distance records out of reach for 12-year-old Imogen Stewart who set another best mark in the 1500m with a meet record on day one of athletics at the 2017 Pacific School Games.

After a comfortable first lap for the New South Wales athlete, Stewart charged well ahead of the pack before crossing the finish line in 4 minutes 34.95 seconds, dipping under the Games record (4:35.50) that was set in 1988.

“So today because it was really windy here I decided to just run controlled and I just wanted to have fun coming out here, that was the main thing for me,” Stewart said after receiving her gold medal.

“I just got into a rhythm and then yeah kept running.”

Stewart started running at the age of seven and while competing for Illawong Little Athletics Club and St George District Athletics Club now holds 16 world best age group times from 1500m up to 3000m.

Recently she clocked an astonishing 9:19.42 over 3000m at the state championships at Sydney Olympic Park placing seventh in the open race behind race winner and 2016 Olympic marathoner Milly Clark in 9:08.33.

“It’s really good to know that I’m running good, and can base it off the records,” Stewart added.

“I’ve got friends from my state that I see every carnival that are here, and we are really good friends so it’s fun to run with them.”

At the moment Stewart only trains three or four times a week under the guidance of her father and coach Owen Stewart, with most of those runs being done alongside her mum Belinda Martin.

“My mum is like, my idol,” Stewart said with a smile.

“She was a runner… she used to run with me and help me a lot but now she is helping me and my brother Casey a lot which is really good.”

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