South Bendigo Athletics Club's Emma Berg has added a fourth national women's open shot-put title to her already glistening resume.
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The 23-year-old star downed her rivals in a tight contest in Adelaide, producing a winning throw of 16.32m.
It was the longest throw at a National Championships in the women's division since 2010-11, when Dani Samuels threw 16.55m.
Ever the perfectionist, Berg told the Bendigo Advertiser she had room for improvement but was still pleased to win the gold medal.
"It was not my best performance, but I'm still pretty happy to add another gold medal to my national titles," Berg said.
"My personal best is 16.87m, so I was aiming for a high 16m throw or hitting 17m, but it's still a satisfying effort."
Berg was made to work to defend her crown in the 14-strong women's open field.
"It was a really strong competition, and some quality girls came out from New Zealand," Berg said.
"They pushed me, and in the end, it was a pretty close competition.
"I was glad to be just a little bit better than the rest of the girls as I only ended up winning by about 50cm.
"A national title is always great, and I'm pretty grateful to have gotten four because a lot of awesome athletes don't have one.
"A few other athletes have ten, so hopefully, I can add a few more to the list down the track and catch up."
It was Berg's third title in a row and continued a fantastic season for the aspiring Olympian.
She set her PB of 16.87 at Lakeside Stadium, won the Zatopek 10 classic run, and finished fourth in a world-class field at the Sir Graeme Douglas Invitation field and track meet in New Zealand.
While this year's Olympics in Paris aren't on Berg's radar, she is confident she is building nicely towards the future.
"The goal is always the Olympics, and this year in Paris would have been nice, but I'm not quite there yet," Berg said.
"We're not sure if we'll do some extra competitions this year or take some time off and focus on the World Championships in 2025, so it's a waiting game to see what's next."
