The Scoop: Keyshawn King Is Your New US No. 1 In The TJ

Australia's Keely Small has a pretty bright future in the 800m. 

The 16-year-old finished seventh in a women's preliminary heat at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on Thursday in Queensland, Australia, pushing toward a new Australian junior record of 2:00.81. 

She finished 11th overall and sixth in her heat, edging out her previous country's junior record by 0.65 seconds. But the time also stands as the ninth-fastest U18 effort of all time and currently is the fastest junior performance to date. 

It's just shy of the Rush Henrietta (NY) High graduate Sammy Watson's top time of 2:00.65 in July of last year and just over a second slower than the American national high school record of 1:59.51, which Bronxville's Mary Cain achieved in 2013.

Small, who was included in the Australian contingent despite finishing last in her country's trials, was boosted by a field that included South Africa's Caster Semenya, who ran 1:59.26 to win the heat. 


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