Personal Bests

Your biggest competition is yourself

At Cranbourne Little Athletics, we believe success is about much more than finishing first.

For many athletes, one of the most exciting achievements of the season is simply doing something better than they have ever done before.

That’s a Personal Best — or PB.

A PB is achieved when an athlete improves on their previous best performance in an event during the season.

That might mean:

  • Running a faster time
  • Jumping further
  • Jumping higher
  • Throwing further

The first time an athlete competes in an event, they establish their starting performance. From there, every improvement gives them a new target to chase.

Why Personal Bests Matter

Little Athletics is built around participation, improvement and having a go.

Not every athlete will win an event — and they don’t need to.

An athlete can finish fifth, tenth or even last and still walk away having had an outstanding competition if they have achieved a new Personal Best.

PBs give every athlete something meaningful to work towards, regardless of their current ability.

They help encourage athletes to:

  • Focus on their own improvement
  • Set achievable goals
  • Build confidence
  • Celebrate progress
  • Stay motivated throughout the season
  • Understand that improvement takes time and effort
Better than yesterday is always worth celebrating.

CLAC Personal Best Awards

To recognise athletes who continue to improve throughout the Track & Field season, Cranbourne Little Athletics awards Bronze, Silver and Gold Personal Best medals.

Athletes work towards the following milestones:

🥉 Bronze 10 Personal Bests

🥈 Silver 20 Personal Bests

🥇 Gold 30 Personal Bests

Each PB achieved during eligible Cranbourne Centre competition contributes towards an athlete’s season total.

These awards recognise improvement and persistence, giving every athlete an opportunity to achieve something special throughout the season.

How Is a PB Achieved?

An athlete earns a Personal Best when they improve their previous recorded performance in an event.

For example:

If an athlete’s best Long Jump is:

3.20m

and at their next competition they jump:

3.27m

they have achieved a new PB.

Their new Personal Best is now 3.27m, and that becomes the performance they will try to improve next time.

The same principle applies across running, jumping, throwing and walking events.

One Event. Plenty of Opportunities.

Athletes can achieve multiple PBs in the same event throughout a season.

For example:
Little Johnny runs the 70m a few times throughout the year, each time is a chance to better that Personal Best

Week 1: 14.50 seconds
Week 4: 14.22 seconds — PB!
Week 6: 14.27 seconds 
Week 8: 14.05 seconds — PB!
Week 10: 14.04 seconds — PB!
Week 12: 13.91 seconds — PB!

Every time an athlete improves their previous best, it counts as another Personal Best towards their season total.

Tracking Your PBs

Athlete performances are recorded throughout the season and can be viewed through ResultsHQ.

Families can use ResultsHQ to:

  • View weekly results
  • Track Personal Best performances
  • Compare performances across the season
  • See an athlete’s progress in each event

Watching those numbers gradually improve can be one of the most rewarding parts of a Little Athletics season.

It’s Not About Where You Finish

A Personal Best belongs entirely to the athlete who achieved it.

It doesn’t matter whether another athlete ran faster, jumped further or threw longer.

If you improved your own best performance, that is something worth being proud of.

That’s why Personal Bests are such an important part of Little Athletics.

Run faster. Jump further. Throw longer. Keep improving.

Every athlete starts somewhere.

Keep having a go, keep chasing your PBs and see how far you can improve this season.