She was determined to beat her personal record.
How did you know about her record?
The coach said that both the newbies and the experienced ones should be aware of the records. And she knew it.
It is good to challenge yourself, and to set personal goals in sports and athletics.  However, you should all concentrate on beating your own personal records, and not on comparing yourself to others.
I used to think she was a failure and non-competitive, but that turned out to be untrue.
She must have challenged herself to do the best that she could. Its a good thing that she did or she would have never had a chance at the record.