Returning medallists lead Australian team for World Indoors

The Australian team at the World Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland will be led by a number of returning medallists, keen to step up on the podium again.

World Indoors high jump champion the last two championships, Nicola Olyslagers could join an exclusive club of women to win field events at three consecutive Championships (Stefka Kostadinova, Valerie Adams and Yulimar Rojas).  2025 was a huge year for Olyslagers, crowned World Athletics Female Field Athlete of the Year, and with only one competition this year, she is adopting the minimal-competition-before-World-Indoors-approach which has served her so well the past two years.

Eleanor Patterson also goes again in the high jump, after finishing with silver last year, to match her silver from 2022.  Having relocated her base to Italy, and made changes to her run-up, the benefits are starting to show through for Patterson in her European meets this year, and she’ll be hoping that continues in Toruń.

Incredibly Jessica Hull has collected a medal at the last four Global Championships she has competed in, and gives herself two chances in Toruń over the 1500m & 3000m.  This means a race on each of the three days, which is a challenging program for Hull, but she has shown that challenges are there to be taken on.

These women are familiar names and faces to the Australian sporting world, and we maybe forget that we are privileged to be watching three of the all-time greats of Australian athletics.  All three sit within the top eight of Australian global championship medal winners of all-time.  At the end of this Championships, potentially both Olyslagers and Hull could sit alongside Jared Tallent, Sally Pearson, and Shirley de la Hunty at the top of that table with seven career medals.

Also returning is Liam Adcock who surprised some with his long jump bronze medal last year.  He has started this year with a spring in his step, with a solo one-and-done 8.23m leap to qualify, and no doubt has some more surprises to spring.

At the other end of the scale are the debutants on the team, both running the 800m.  Hayley Kitching recently experienced the unpredictability of the 800m indoors, tripping in her recent NCAA Nationals Indoors race, and will be keen to have a clear run to attempt to qualify through the rounds.  Bob Abdelrahim, notably the second youngest in the field, has shot into prominence in the last year.  Having never run indoors, he will look to make the most of the new experience.

Bob will be joined by his training partner, Peter Bol who brings plenty of international championships experience, although surprisingly less so indoors, having last competed indoors in 2019.  His career-best early season form suggests he'll be in the mix to make the final.

Joining them are some seriously experienced athletes.

Michelle Jenneke is taking part in her 19th International competition, with it all starting at the Youth Olympics in 2010.  We’ve seen her produce some of her fastest early season times this year and will bring all that speed over the 60m hurdles.

Linden Hall was at the 2008 Youth Olympics and joins her 17th International Competition, including her 4th World Indoors. Fresh off her World Cross Country relay gold, Hall brings all her experience to the 3000m where she is ranked #4 in this field.

Kurtis Marschall is one of only five Australian men to win two or more medals at the outdoor World Championships.  This will be his 5th World Indoors Championships and he'll be keen to add an indoor Worlds medal to his collection.  He faces the most competitive field of the whole championships with nine of the top 10 world ranked pole vaulters travelling to compete.  But having just cleared the 6 metre barrier for the first time, he'll take confidence in being there when the final positions are starting to get sorted. 

Adam Spencer will have a sense of familiarity when he fronts the 1500m field given a couple of the athletes he knows well from his NCAA days and he could well be competing against them to make the final.  Given only two of the world’s top 10 are present, there’s a sense this will be a very open race, likely to start slow and favour the kickers, a race Spencer does well in.

Plenty of excitement in store.  TrackAthletes will bring you the results as they unfold (check "quick updates" on the home page and the socials), and you can watch live on Channel Nine (GO! / Gem)

Before the Championships start, why not enter our Field-A-Team competition for a bit fun with your friends and family.

Enjoy! 

Athletes Mentioned: