![Merewether athlete Rose Davies. Picture by Josh Callinan Merewether athlete Rose Davies. Picture by Josh Callinan](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/gNecaFSpqFSLkittedmeiY/aad18531-1e75-418b-90bd-49ca15d6c32f.jpg/r0_330_3456_1904_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
ROSE Davies feels like she has a "lot more confidence" approaching the next phase of Olympic qualification for 2024 in the wake of a maiden sub-15 minute performance.
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The Merewether athlete now has her sights set on two domestic competitions during the next two months, trying to strengthen her bid for the Paris Games and reduce a new personal-best time even further in the women's 5000 metres.
"I feel like it's given me a lot more confidence than what I had," Davies told the Newcastle Herald.
"After Zatopek [finishing third in 10,000m on December 2] I was like 'I've got so much work to do' and didn't realise how unfit I was.
"I just don't think I had enough time before Zatopek, but straight after that I knew where I was at and knew what I had to do.
"I just feel like everything clicked at the right time."
Davies became just the fourth Australian female ever to break the 15-minute barrier for that event, alongside Jessica Hull, Benita Willis and Eloise Wellings.
"The women in front of me are all amazing athletes, so to be in that circle now is pretty special," she said.
According to the World Athletics website on Thursday and albeit early in the season, Davies sits inside the 42 available positions for the Olympic race.
She's outside the 20 automatic spots for entry standard (14:52), but 22nd overall in terms of rankings quota with 1194 points. Hull (14:44.24) is the only quicker Aussie.
Next up Davies has the Sydney Track Classic (3000m) and Australian Athletics Championships (5000m).