Winger third in javelin at Brussels with season-best mark

Vancouver’s Kara Winger had her best javelin throw of the 2016 track and field season on Friday at the Van Damme Memorial meet in Brussels.

Her mark of 61.86 meters (203 feet) on her final throw placed her third in the seven-person event that included 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic.

“I really wanted more distance, but my consistent series felt much better than my last two competitions,” Winger posted on Instagram.

Madara Palameika of Latvia won the javelin with a throw of 66.18. Spotakova was second at 63.78.

Winger was coming off a victory at the Rovereto meet in Italy on Tuesday where she threw 58.44. She said in an Instagram post that it was her first overseas victory since Kawasaki in 2009.

Also at the Rovereto meet, Camas’ Alexa Efraimson was third in the women’s 1-mile race with a personal best time of 4:27.39.