Brooke Stratton began the summer hoping to get better. She has managed it.
Stratton has smashed the national long jump record and in so doing has leapt into the frame for an Olympic medal in Rio. The 22-year-old Victorian jumped 7.05 metres in Perth on Saturday night to break Bronwyn Thompson's 7m national record from 2002. 
To put her effort in perspective, that jump would have been sufficient to win bronze at the London Olympics and the world championships last year. It was 20cm longer than the gold medal-winning jump at the 2014 world indoors, which is exciting in an immediate sense because Stratton heads to the world indoors in Portland next week.
She began the summer with a personal best of 6.73m but in a heady season she has repeatedly improved that mark, culminating in the new national record.
Now she has to re-think what she is capable of this year.
"I had originally thought I would be going to the indoors just looking to gain a bit more experience leading into Rio, but after jumping 6.94 a couple of weeks ago and now the 7.05m, I'm definitely well within the mix over there," Stratton said.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, but hopefully I can come away with a medal if I get a good jump in. It's pretty crazy - after coming away with 14th place at the world athletics championships I thought I had a fair way to go to be up there. But now, after jumping the 7.05 and thinking I could potentially medal at the world indoors and at Rio, it's a massive confidence booster."
Stratton was helped by a - legal - 2m tailwind in good conditions in Perth but has been able to post impressive results in varied conditions this summer.
"I knew the jump was there, I just had to get it all right," she said.
And in a further impressive sign of the trajectory of the next generation of Australian athletes, Queensland sprinter Trae Williams broke Matt Shirvington's under-20 100m Australian record with a time of 10.27 seconds.
Tasmanian teenager Jack Hale - already the quickest under-18 Australian ever - was second in a new personal best time of 10.31s.
The short but powerfully built Williams was left to wonder how quick he might get after overtaking his idol Shirvington with his effort at the National Juniors in Perth.
"I believed I could do it. Every week I've got closer and closer to the time, but with the boys pushing me tonight I got there," Williams said. "Shirvington is one of my heroes, he had a 10.03 PB and to run as quick as him at 19 is so amazing."
Kenyan star David Rudisha won the 800m in 1 minute, 44.89 seconds and Australian Kathryn Mitchell won the women's javelin with a throw of 63.95m. with AAP