The past six months have been busy and productive for a Hellen Reith Trust supported athlete, Joanna Robertson, with personal bests, podium finishes and valuable experience gained on the international stage in wheelchair racing.
In November, she competed in the Shanghai Marathon after being invited to race as part of an elite international field. A composed performance saw her finish sixth overall, setting a new marathon personal best of 2:04:06.
That momentum continued at the Jed Renilson 10k Road Race in Jedburgh, where she secured first place and recorded another personal best of 27:15. Earlier in the season, she also delivered a standout performance at the Scottish Half Marathon in August, crossing the line in a personal best time of 1:00:43.
The new year began with a trip to Australia in January to compete in the Summer Down Under series, providing an opportunity to compete against high-level international athletes. The series proved highly productive, with personal bests achieved across nearly every distance, contributing to an improved ranking ahead of this year’s Commonwealth Games.
More recently, she competed at the University of Birmingham Winter Throws and Distance track event, lining up in both the 400m and 1500m. First-place finishes in both races marked a confident start to the track season. The focus will now shift primarily to track competition, with the next major event being the Arbon WPA Para Athletics meeting in Switzerland in May.
She also expressed her gratitude to the Hellen Reith Trust for its continued support, noting that the funding has been instrumental in enabling travel to competitions and supporting her continued development in the sport.
