The Timboon runner won silver in the under 20 women's 3000 metre steeplechase at the Australian Athletics Championships on Monday. However, with only the gold medallist earning an automatic bid for the Columbia-based Championships, Morden will spend the next week in suspense awaiting news of a possible selection.

Her time of 10:30.27 in Sydney was a personal best, and 1.51 seconds faster than her gold medal run at the Victorian Track and Field Championships in February. Both fall under the World Junior Qualifying time of 10:36.00.

"It was great to get a personal best even though I didn't have the ideal lead up," the 18-year-old said.

Contracting COVID-19 weeks out from the national championships, Morden had to find alternative means to keep up her training.

"A month out I was a close contact and had to isolate, then had a week of training," she said. "Then I got COVID-19, so I was running up and down the hallway trying to keep up my fitness.

"I focused on keeping my form, then had some really good training sessions last week before nationals. I was feeling fairly strong in the lead up to the race."

Winning gold was her focus, though Morden said coach Phil Molesworth told her post-race she could be proud of second.

"Technically we agreed, it wasn't my best race," she said. "At state, especially over the water jump it flowed which didn't happen this race. But it does mean I have room for improvement, that if it wasn't my best race and I still got a PB, I can get faster in the future."

Morden also qualified to run the under 20 1500m event at Sydney. She said she chose to focus solely on the steeplechase event.

With the Australian athletics season coming to a close, Morden will take a short break before turning her focus to either the World Championships or the upcoming cross country season.

"If I'm headed for Cali (Columbia), I'd have to do a double peak in a season," she said. "Just keeping up and increasing my training load to peak again for worlds."

Morden thanked everyone from the south-west who has supported her this season.

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