Personal bests on international duty for hurdles specialists (From Echo)

Personal bests on international duty for hurdles specialists

4:50pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Sport By Ryan Goad

IT has been another impressive week for south Essex’s two international hurdlers.

Gianni Frankis and Hayley McLean were both on duty for their countries and both returned home with new personal bests to their names.

Frankis was in action in two indoor meetings in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Vienna, Austia.

The 23-year-old ran a consistent 7.77s and 7.76s in his two rounds of the 60m hurdles in Bratislava, winning the final with the latter mark.

Two days’ later in Vienna, Pitsea-based Frankis, who competes for Newham & Essex Beagles, recorded a rapid 7.70s to come second in the 60m hurdles final behind his younger team-mate Andy Pozzi (7.68s).

Frankis’ time was his best ever by some five-hundreths of a second.

Meanwhile, junior international McLean was in action for the England under-20 team in the Celtic Cup in Cardiff.

The 17-year-old, from Stanford-le-Hope, was chosen to run the flat 400m and shaved nearly half a second off her previous best.

The Chelmsford AC athlete came third in a time of 57.05s.

Her England team were comfortable overall victors in the competition.