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Sweet feat: high schooler smashes Raelene Boyle's 57-year-old sprint record

<p>Australian sprinting has a new superstar in the making! In a jaw-dropping performance at the national junior athletics championships in Perth, 17-year-old Leah O’Brien rocketed to glory, obliterating a 57-year-old record set by the legendary Raelene Boyle.</p> <p>O’Brien, a WA schoolgirl, stunned the athletics world by storming to victory in the under-18 100 metres, clocking an electrifying 11.14 seconds – with a perfectly legal tailwind of +1.7 metres per second. Her blistering run toppled Boyle’s iconic mark of 11.20 seconds from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, a record many believed would stand for generations.</p> <p>“I think I have really put my name out there,” an elated O’Brien said, beaming with pride. “It's crazy to be running these times while still in high school!”</p> <p>But the milestones didn’t stop there. O’Brien’s dazzling dash also catapulted her into Australian sprinting history, drawing level with Olympic gold medallist Sally Pearson on the all-time national open 100m list – now tied at fourth-fastest ever. Only Torrie Lewis (11.10), Melissa Breen (11.11) and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor (11.12) have ever run faster.</p> <p>To make the feat even sweeter, O’Brien now finds herself ranked ninth in the world under-18 rankings, a remarkable achievement for the young star.</p> <p>Cheered on by family and friends, O’Brien soaked up the moment. “This is definitely the most support I’ve ever had. It’s so great to experience this moment with the people I love and share the happiness.”</p> <p>And she wasn’t done yet.</p> <p>Earlier in the championships, O’Brien also stormed to victory in the 200m, clocking a personal best of 23.37 seconds despite facing a stiff headwind of -1.1 m/s. In a thrilling race, she powered past Queensland’s Thewbelle Philp with her trademark long stride and high knee lift, leaving the field in her wake.</p> <p>The sprint sensation isn’t slowing down anytime soon. O’Brien will return to the track this week at the WA Athletics Stadium to contest the open 100m, where she’ll face established stars like Torrie Lewis, Bree Rizzo and Ebony Lane.</p> <p>With talents like O’Brien, Lewis, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/i-m-saying-that-hands-down-matt-shirvo-s-bold-prediction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gout Gout</a> and Lachlan Kennedy rising rapidly through the ranks, Australia’s sprinting future looks brighter than ever as the countdown to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics begins.</p> <p><em>Images: Australian Athletics</em></p>

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Suspect revealed in double murder of elderly couple

<p>A 62-year-old woman from Adelaide has had official charges laid against her by South Australian police over the alleged double murder of her elderly parents – Brenda and Lynton Anderson – who police believe were <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/double-murder-investigation-launched-into-elderly-couple-who-died-a-year-apart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deliberately poisoned a year apart</a>.</p> <p>After initially concealing the identity of the suspect, detectives – who had been treating the deaths of Andersons, both aged 94, as a double murder – described their main person of interest as someone who was <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">"known and close to both of them." </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">At the time, Detective Inspector Mark McEachern told reporters that </span>suspicions had arisen due to similarities and irregularities found in the toxicology reports of the deceased Andersons.</p> <p>It was determined that the presence of certain medications in their systems was unexplained and raised concerns. "There was no reason for the medication to have been in their system and that's raised concerns in respect of both deaths," McEachern said.</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">"Mrs Anderson's hospital death was identified during the coronial investigation process after toxicology results gave significant rise for concern. </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">When an innocent explanation for toxicology abnormalities was eliminated, the possibility Mrs Anderson's death being a deliberate act by another party became the primary subject of the investigation.</span></p> <p>"It is believed Mrs Anderson was killed by a person known to her and in close enough relationship to have been visiting her while she was in hospital."</p> <p>In the case of Lynton Anderson, he was discovered unconscious at his residence in Hackham by a caregiver on April 30. He was immediately transported to Flinders Medical Centre by SA Ambulance but succumbed to his condition the following day. Detectives then became suspicious of his toxicology results after closely analysing Brenda's case. </p> <p>After ruling out any of the carers who looked after the Andersons during their time in hospital, SA p<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">olice have now taken the couple’s daughter – Raelene Polymiadis – into custody and laid appropriate charges against her.</span></p> <p>It will be alleged by SA Police that Raelene Polymiadis carried out her crimes while visiting her parents – mother Brenda while she was being treated in hospital for unrelated issues, and father Lynton at his Hackham home.</p> <p><em>Images: SA Police</em></p>

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