Eleanor Patterson

Before starting a preview of this weekend’s action – with the Eugene Diamond League / Prefontaine Classic the highlight – let’s reflect on some recent highlights over the past week or so.

Some recent highlights

So many highlights its hard to believe its two weeks ago we saw Peter Bol break the Area Record in the 1000m, winning in Ostrava in 2:15.13.  At the same meet Gout Gout sets a World U20 best over 150m with 14.96 (0.0) in third, just 0.29 behind Noah Lyles' new World Best.  Also in the same week Eleanor Patterson clears 2.00m for the first time since her World Champion year of 2022, when winning in Essen.

And the record breaking continued.  Last week Cameron Myers becomes the 12th best metric miler in the World ever, setting a new Area Record with 3:28.00. He breaks the Australian record by 1.41 seconds, the biggest jump since Herb Elliott broke John Landy’s record back in 1958.

Earlier in the evening at the Paris Diamond League, Sarah Billings breaks the 800m Area Record.  Billings has tended to favour the 1500m in the last few years, and this run has now, for the first time since 2019, put her World Athletics result score in the 800m (1216) ahead of her 1500m best (1215).

Staying with the 800m, Daniel Williams has been training at altitude (perhaps for the first time?) with his ON team.  It seems to have had the desired effect, with him taking on his first international senior field in Poland, pushing to the lead after 400m, and cruising to victory in 1:44.48, his 2nd best time.

Elsewhere we saw Jack Anstey run his second 1500m PB in a week, 3:33.32, and his 4th PB over all distances for 2026. And just the other night Rohan Browning got swept down the straight by a +4.7 m/s wind, to record 9.89 over 100m – 3rd fastest Australian all-conditions.

Eugene Diamond League / Prefontaine Classic

Myers and Williams both make an appearance this weekend in Eugene and it’s fascinating their main competition will be athletes around their own age – Myers faces defending Bowerman Mile champion, 21-year-old Niels Laros, and Williams is up against the 17-year-old phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus.

The Youth is out in force.  But we also have seasoned campaigners such as Jessica Hull and Oliver Hoare who have fond memories of winning NCAA titles at Hayward Field.  For Daniel Williams this will be an important learning experience, before he returns in one months tiem for the World U20 Championships

Williams races on the first day (Saturday 2:07am aest) in what are non-Diamond League scoring events, with Oliver Hoare appearing in the Invitational Mile just before (1:56pm aest).  The Commonwealth 1500m champion will be looking to use this as an important tune-up before the Games in less than a month.

Ky Robinson then runs over the 2 mile distance (2:16pm).  Having just taken down Craig Mottram’s 5000m Area Record, he’ll be looking at Mottram’s last track record of 8:03.50 – a phenomenal run at the time that put Mottram #3 on the World all-time list.

The following day (Sunday morning aest) sees Matthew Denny kick things off in the discus (5:50am), which will be a tiebreaker for him Ceh and Stahl, with all three equal on top with the same points at present in the Diamond League.

Lachlan Kennedy follows next (6:37am) over the 100m, facing the current World Champion Seville on what is one of the fastest tracks in the world.

Hayley Kitching returns, after just 3 weeks, to the track where she set a massive 1.5 second PB and won silver in the NCAA 800m final.  In her Diamond League debut (7.11am) she, like the rest of the field, will be trying to latch on to the pace behind world-record seeker Keely Hodgkinson.

The days action ends with the feature races which are the miles.  And the talk is of records, perhaps not surprising, given over 30% of the top 50 men in the mile have set their PBs at Hayward Field.

For the women, Faith Kipyegon will have her eyes (and the pace lights) set on her 4:07.64 world record, and Jessica Hull will likely see this as an opportunity to challenge her Area record of 4:13.68 which puts her World #6 all-time.

For the men’s Bowerman Mile, Cameron Myers will have some confidence that the record he currently shares with Olli Hoare (3:47.48) is achievable.  But as the current holder of the Wanamaker Mile trophy, he’ll also be focusing on winning, and adding to his trophy cabinet.  Only two men have ever won both these prestigious miles in the same year (Bernard Lagat 2003, '06, Steve Scott 1984).

Other Weekend Events

There's many other events of interest this weekend, including the Gold Coast Marathon Festival with Haftu Strintzos and Vanessa Wilson the key Australians in the marathon.

Don't miss early Saturday morning Jack Anstey & Jude Thomas over 1500m, and Chris Mitrevski in the long jump at Meeting Stanislas Nancy 

And early Sunday morning there are a number of European meets with Australian athletes listed to compete.

In Lyon, France we see Jye Edwards and Luke Shaw over 1500m, while Klara Dess steps down to the 800m.  Teenager Tate van Camp is listed to run the 800m, along with Mason Cohen.

In Spain, Morgan Mitchell will have another race over 400m at the X Ordizia Meeting, while in Belgium Bec Bennett goes in a 200m while Kiran Tibballs races over the 1500m.

Not to forget Portugal where we'll see Christopher Ius  & Joshua Azzopardi race over 100m, and Alanah Yukich changes to the 400m flat.

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Some updates from the track - I have seen Jessica Hull near the warm-up track so looks like she'll be running the 5000m.  Unfortunately Kennedy is not running the 200m, and Liz Clay did not start in the 100m hurdles.

I raised the question below if there'd be an upset in the women's discus and Ashlyn Blackstock has indeed taken the title from Taryn Gollshewsky with a 5th round throw of 55.92m.  Tricky conditions with the wind swirling at the moment.
Which also makes it hard for the long jumpers - but Delta Amidzovski and Brooke Buschkuehl are putting on a show of quality jumping - Delta leads by 3 cm currently with 6.62m. And then wow - Buschkuehl wins on her last jump - getting out to 6.67m.

In the 200m qualifying, last years champion Jessica Milat did not unfortunately qualify for the final.  In the men's Gout Gout flew to a 20.11 (+0.4) win in his heat ... look out the 20 second barrier in the final.
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The last day of what's been a fascinating Australian Championships .. 17 finals to be contested:

In the field, a highlight will be the women's high jump, where two of Australia's greatest athletes going head-to-head, Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson.
In the women's long jump can Delta Amidzovski repeat her sensational jumping from the qualifying or can another great champion, six-time title holder Brooke Buschkuehl challenge her? 
Women's discus see's another multiple title holder Taryn Gollshewsky go for her 6th title - can someone cause an upset

For the men, we have the 6-metre-man Kurtis Marschall vault for his 9th title. 
The long jump has been a close contest this year, with Liam Adcock leading the way but Alex Epitropakis and Chris Mitrevski have showed winning form.  Adcock & Mitrevski have been sharing the title the last four years - according to the pattern it's Mitrevski's turn.
The javelin throwers will need to navigate some tricky winds. Cameron McEntyre almost hit 80 metres in qualifying and will be hard to beat. 
Alex Kolesnikoff since returning from the USA college system, has had some good battles with Aiden Harvey who is going for his fifth straight title - this will be a contest to watch.

On the track the we have men's steeplechase where Ben Buckingham has shown the best form this season, but you can't count out Australian record holder Ed Trippas. 
Also jumping obstacles we have heats and finals for the 110m hurdles, and the final of the 400m hurdles, where Matthew Hunt goes in as favourite, but keep your eye on Ashley Moloney.  Each race his stride pattern improves, and with a 45.82 best over the flat, if he's close towards the finish he'll be storming home.
A fascinating 800m final is in store and while Peter Bol is firm favourite, there is so much talent in this field that an upset wouldn't surprise.

Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout face off in the 200m.  Can Kennedy do the double? - not done since 2016 (Alex Hartmann) and if successful Kennedy will be the youngest since 1999 when a 20-year-old Matt Shirvington took it out - he'll be trackside commentating this 200m and listen for the crowd as Gout makes his charge over the final 60 metres.

Speaking of doubles, how many women have completed the classic 800/1500m at the championships?  Claudia Hollingsworth could join them but as with the men's 800m she faces a stacked field.
The heats of the women's 100m hurdles will help us see the form for the final, particularly that of Liz Clay who hasn't raced this year but blasted her best time last year to defeat Michelle Jenneke in the final.  Sarah Carli goes in as strong favourite over the long hurdles. 
Monique Hanlon hasn't lost a 200m race this year, and after her 4th in the 100m, you'd back her to keep the unbeaten record.
How the women's 5000m plays out depends to some extent as to whether Jessica Hull has recovered from the fall in the 1500m, and will toe the start line. Rose Davies' tactics could differ from her normal sit and kick if Hull's in the field.

... thoughts on yesterday to come ...

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In the field the women's javelin ended up being a close affair.  Mackenzie Little gets the win 58.76m, but only 48cm ahead of Lianna Davidson, with Mackenzie Mialczarek another 81cm behind.

The men's high jump saw Roman Anastasios clear 2.20m on his first attempt to take his first title, Yual Reath second and Brandon Starc in his first comp back after injury third.
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More excitement on the track with the 100m & 800m semi-finals, 400m finals
In the women's 100m semis there'll be a few disappointed to miss the final, the Olivas (Rose Inkster, Hastings Dodds) all ran 11.73 but Inkster got the last time qualifier.  Great to see Riley Day back in finals, and Georgia Harris ran a quick semi to put her into the mix. 

In the mens 100m you'd think Lachlan Kennedy was saving something for the final tonight (but still ran 10.05), with others qualifying as expected with perhaps Alexander Colgan the surprise omission.

Qualifiers into the women's 800m final were as per the rankings.  Klara Dess's qualification means she will not run the 5000m (was entered for the treble as well).

The men's qualification did not go to plan for Peyton Craig, making a blunder slowing towards the line without checking his opposition, and getting pipped for 2nd, and not making it as a time qualifier.  Given four men already have the standard, and will race the final, Craig will have to do something super special time wise over the next 8 weeks to get discretionary selection.  Alex Hanigan benefited from Craig's slip up and runs in the final his dad won in 1994 & 1998.
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The start of the evening session for Saturday ... and what a day it was Friday.  Still digesting all the excitement, but when you find out the winner of the women's 1500m only a couple of hours ago then that's not surprising.

We saw a 19-year-old in Cameron Myers do something no one in the World has ever done - run sub 3:30 before May
We saw a 22-year-old in Lachlan Kennedy do something no one in Australia has ever done - run sub-10 seconds in Australia
And we saw Claudia Hollingsworth - who turns 21 tomorrow! - take our her second National open title, in unfortunate circumstances, but sets up a fascinating 800m final for tomorrow assuming all the leading contenders get through tonights heats.

Myers and Hollingsworth join the list from this weekends championships who are eligible for automatic nomination for the Commonwealth Games, with Kennedy joining tonight if he wins the title.

Who else could join them tonight?  The men's 400m final has two with the CG standard, so if Reece Holder or Cooper Sherman win they get an auto-nomination.  However given the form of Luke van Ratingen and Thomas Reynolds, they could also have an eye on cracking the 44.85 standard and a surprise win.

Unfortunately Jemma Pollard has scratched from the women's 400m final, but it will be a fascinating contest between Ellie Beer and Mia Gross - is the 50.75 standard within reach? - with Alice Dixon and Alexia Loizou looking to continue their PB form and perhaps score a surprise win.

In the field, Mackenzie Little has the standard so a win tonight will put her name forward.  Lianne Davidson hasn't flown all the way from Georgia, USA for nothing so this will be a close contest, and Davidson has a PB over the 62 metre standard.

And how can we forget Nina Kennedy going in the pole vault final.  She jumped the standard off her shortened run-up at Maurie Plant - will she extend the steps and use that momentum to push into the 4.80's?

We've already seen one final today - Men's hammer throw where the favourite took out the title - he's extended his PB to 71.21m this year, so will likely press for that 73 metre standard for the cut off (31st May)

The standard is not essential for selection (just for the auto-nomination at these Championships). In their discretionary selections, selectors can also look at how athletes are ranked in the Commonwealth.  Yesterdays result in the heptathlon has set up an fascinating dilema.  Australia already had 3 athletes ranked in the top 5 (Camryn Newton-Smith, Tori West & Emelia Surch).  Mia Scerri's title win and point score will push her up close to Surch's ranking (Surch did not compete at the Championships due to injury).  Will the selectors opt for trhee heptathletes, and then which three do they chose?  

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Friday

Well ... that didn't turn out as expected!  Jessica Hull tripped in the final straight as Claudia Hollingsworth tried to move out from the rail when the gap closed.  Protests being discussed at the moment apparently ... and Hollingsworth is disqualified so Sarah Billings is the Australian 1500m Champion finishing 0.04 ahead of Abbey Caldwell, with Georgia Griffith 3rd.

But then the men's was more to script, with Cameron Myers completely dominant and Oliver Hoare perhaps finds that run he will feels better represents his training.
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The women's triple jump final has seen some great jumping with 3 women over 13 metres.  Desleigh Owusu was a strong favourite and and jumped twice over 13.50m, with 13.58m her best to date.  Tiana Boras got out to 13.21m on her second attempt and Chloe Grande 12.98m on her third, to be 3rd Australian.
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Stephanie Ratcliffe went into the hammer throw as firm favourite and took control of the comp with 67.71m on her third throw to take the title, with Lara Roberts finishing with 65.51m on her last.  Ratcliffe's breaks through for her first senior title after winning three silvers.
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Watching Lachlan Kennedy run 10.03 (+0.3) on a cold night in Melbourne you thought there was something big to come.  A warm evening in Sydney, a newly laid track, and very little breeze ... Kennedy open's his Championships sensationally with the first run under 10 seconds by an Australian in Australia ... 9.96 (+0.2) ... sensational!  
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Women's heptathlon ends in a tense finish with Tori West opening a lead over Mia Scerri of over 4 seconds, and therefore hitting the front overall, but Scerri finishes strongly and ends up winning the contest by 13 points, with a big PB of 6175.  West gets second 6162, and Camryn Newton-Smith third 5887
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The depth of Australian middle distance running is evident when watching the 800m preliminaries - large fields of unseeded athletes just trying to make the heats - racing in big packs, super competitive all the way to the line.  36 men have made the trip to Sydney to fight for the 12 spots, and 20 women for the 13 spots. 
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Being at the track you pick up the vibe ... and there was definitely a vibe around those men as they assembled for the 400m heats.  This final is going to be hot with all the big names through (save Murphy who's focused on the 200m) and good to see Zen Clark make the biggest final of his career.
Jemma Pollard leads the qualifiers in the women's heats, with Alexia Loizou and Alice Dixon continuing their good form after PBing this year.
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Been asking coaches and athletes what they think of the new track ... mostly positive but always good to have some evidence.  In these men's 100m preliminaries there's been 17 PBs in the first 5 races - wind between +0.6 and +1.3.  In Perth last year (the 'fastest' track in Australia) there were 9 PBs in first 5 prelims (wind +0.4 to +1.8) ... not solid stats by any means but definitely looks positive.  Conditions also very good at the moment for the short sprint (with wind forecast to pick up next two days) so might be the night for Lachlan Kennedy to go for it?
For the women it was 11 in 2025 from 1st 4 prelims wind +0.7 to +1.4 and 10 in 2026 wind +0.8 to +1.6
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Shout out to the multievent coaches in Tasmania ... in the under 20 events, Bailey Van den Broek and Isabella Wing currently in 1st and 2nd in the heptathlon, and Xavier Davie leading the decathlon - all from Tasmania.  
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Men's qualifying in long jump and javelin unfolding.  Long jumpers are benefiting from a tailwind so quite a few have gone beyond the auto-Q mark of 7.70m, Liam Adcock got out to 8.12m (+3.8) first jump, Alex Epitropakis 7.85 (+1.0), Chris Mitrevski 7.84 (+1.4), Harrison Williams 7.77 (+2.2) and Mason McGroder 7.70m (+1.5).  Javelin throwers are negotiating the tricky headwind so fewer with a big Q, Cameron McEntyre 79.27m, Howard McDonald 71.68m and Oscar Sullivan 70.80m.  Neil Janse sits in 5th, with 10 to qualify.
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Qualifying for the women's long jump took a dramatic twist early on when Delta Amidzovski came out for her first jump and soared to 6.84m (+1.3) - her best by 22cm, a Commonwealth Games standard, and goes to #5 all-time Australian.  Others have gone through directly to the final:  Tomysha Clark 6.38m (+1.6), and Brooke Buschkuehl 6.37m (+1.7).  There'll be another 7 to go through to the final 10:50am Sunday (on 7plus)
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The javelin in the Heptathlon about to start ... West has a PB of 53.97m, but best in comp 47.36m, Scerri has 38.78m PB (35.18m in comp).  10 metres equates to about 200 points
After two rounds West has thrown 46.72m and Scerri 37.32m which puts West just 57 points behind.  If no improvement then it all comes down to the 800m, 57 points equates to about 4 seconds.  West's in comp best is 4.5 seconds faster than Scerri's.
That's how it finishes.  Scerri needs a sub 2:18 to get the 6200 standard, West needs a sub 2:14 which would be an overall PB, and Scerri needs to finish with four seconds of West to take the title. Don't miss the 800m, 7.05pm live CH7
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In the multievents, Lenny Robin led the decathlon after the first day with 3776 points, second Logoh Tligi & Connor Duggan 3rd Australian. They race over 110m hurdles first thing this morning

In the heptathlon the long jump has commenced, and what does Mia Scerri do first up - jump an PB of course, 6.30m (+1.0). Based on the current jumps, and using Scerri's overall PB for the javelin, the contest between her and West is now neck-and-neck with the forecast points saying only 2 points difference

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Arrived at the Sydney Olympic Athletics Stadium with its brand new two-toned track
A big day in store with the Heptathlon and Decathlon events concluding.  Also finals for the 1500m, women's triple jump and hammer throw.
According to those who entered the Fantasy Nationals, there was universal support for Cameron Myers to win the 1500m, Desleigh Owusu the triple jump and Stephanie Ratcliffe the hammer throw. Jessica Hull was a clear favourite in the 1500m but a few also thought Claudia Hollingsworth could cause an upset.

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DAY 1: Blog ....

off to catch a flight hopefully
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Womens 1500m heats - 3 heats, first 3 qualify + 3 fastest
H1: Hollingsworth & Griffith through to final with Zoe Meluish, the fastest qualifier time to beat is 4:22.55
H2: Hull & Caldwell through, along with Thornton-Bott, with Klara Dess, who's also down to do the distance treble, currently with fastest non-Q time 4:18
H3: Billings, Ryan & Hancock-Cameron get the big Q, with Stephanie Kelly and Maddison Caulfield join Dess in the final via fastest times.

The main contenders in Women's Hammer and Men's discuss all look to have qualified to finals
Scerri jumped a PB 1.81m but has retired at 1.84m - hopefully not because of injury - she curently leads West & Newton-Smith who both jumped 1.75m.

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Flight was cancelled so unfortunately this is coming from the airport and not live ... looking at results on the screen not quite the same experience!

Multievents:  Seems to be a couple of big names missing.  Emelia Surch not competing in the Heptathlon and Ben Guse not in Decathlon

In the 100m hurdles Kajsa Souter and Tori West runs PBs, Souter's a big 0.2 improvement, while Newton-Smith just behind West.  Mia Scerri, 4th in the last U20 Worlds, also PBed, and currently leads the high jump with an equal PB 1.78m - good start to attempt a first time 6000 point score. 

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There's so much to unpack for the Australian Nationals this year, that its best consumed on a event-by-event and day-by-day basis ... so we'll be providing you with a preview of each day's events, updates during and after events and then end of day analysis ... tune in!

So the Australian Championships are upon us.  We have a beautiful, two-toned, newly-layed track at Sydney’s Olympic Park to host the event.  We have a sunny forecast, hot on Thursday & Friday, slightly cooler, but still sunny for the weekend.  And we have some amazing athletes competing to do their best in what for many will be the pinnacle of their season.

For some it's about Australian titles and medals, and for a select few it's also a chance to put forward their names for selection to compete at the Commonwealth Games.  With the team restricted to 63 athletes, there's lots of discretion in the selection process, with the only guarantee being for those who have achieved the standard (list here), competed at a summer series event and won the National title.

Thursday Preview

A short overview of what to expect on Thursday.  The first day starts with qualifying rounds, preliminary rounds and the multi-events, where every event is like a final.

This will be a tough competition for the multi-eventers in the heat.  In the women’s, Olympians Tori West and Camryn Newton-Smith face last year’s World Uni Games bronze medallist Emelia Surch.  Surch has set a new heptathlon PB score every year since she started competing in the event, and is only 100 points behind Newton-Smith’s best, and 200 behind Wests.  Expect this to be a fascinating event to follow and we’ll provide score updates, as well as forecasts of possible finishing scores along the way.

Benjamin Guse competes in the men’s Decathlon, the event he won at the World Uni Games last year posting an incredible 9 PBs out of 10 events.  He appears to be a long way ahead of the competition in Sydney with Britain’s Sam Talbot and South Australian Logoh Tligi the likely ones to challenge him.

On the track we’ll see the 1500m heats, where the favourites will be keen to stay out of trouble and finish in the top six to qualify for Friday nights final.  This is Jessica Hull’s first leg of her distance treble attempt.  She has won the 1500m three times and the 5000m four times, and a win in the 800m would make her the first woman to achieve the treble, with only John Landy and Simon Doyle achieving it for the men.  Georgia Griffith and Georgie Clarke are the only women to win medals in all three events.

Preliminary rounds for the 400m involve all but the top 15 seeds as they compete for a spot in the first round heats on Friday.  The only other track event being a mixed 4x100m relay between the states.

A busy day in the field, with qualifiers in the women’s hammer and javelin, men’s discus and triple jump for both.  Will be great viewing to see the two Australian hammer reps, and 70 metres plus throwers, Stephanie Ratcliffe and Lara Roberts launch the metal ball.  Also of interest will be how Mackenzie Little goes in her first event since winning javelin bronze in last year’s World Championships, and US-based Lianna Davidson in only her second event of the season.

The men’s discus is missing Matthew Denny who’ll be launching his disc into the wind at ‘thrown town’ Ramona this weekend.  In his absence Darcy Miller, Etienne Rousseau and Ethan Ayodele will look for strong qualifying, with Ayodele taking the title last year.

Men’s triple jump has been highly competitive this year with Connor Murphy, Shemaiah James and Awan Akuen sharing the wins over the summer.  While in the women’s Desleigh Owusu had an unusual domestic loss to Isobel Louison-Roe, but in the absence of the junior athlete, looks to be a strong favourite for the final.

Keep an eye on this page for updates after each event – also the “quick updates” box on the home page for action as it happens.

For a bit of fun why not enter the Fantasy Nationals before 10am Thursday – predict the podium for 10 events of your choice and then cheer on your chosen athletes –  entry form link here.

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! 

By any measure, 2025 was an extraordinary year for Australian athletics.  We review some of the key results and records set.

Global Championships

Australians won 12 Global medals, with Australia's best World Indoor Championships ever (7 medals), equal second best World Championships (4 medals) and the first World Relays medal in the new 'qualification' format. 

The World Indoors for Australia had the most number of athletes finishing in the top 8 (9) and the top 16 (15) while the World Championships also saw the most number of athletes (28) finishing in the top 16.

World Indoors

GOLD Nicola Olyslagers High Jump
SILVER Eleanor Patterson High Jump, Lachlan Kennedy 60m
BRONZE Ky Robinson 3000m, Jessica Hull 3000m, 4x400m women (Beer, Connolly, Pasquali, Pollard) 

World Relays

SILVER 4x400m mixed (Van Ratingen, Beer, Thorne, Bull)

World Championships

GOLD  Nicola Olyslagers High Jump
BRONZE  Kurtis Marschall Pole Vault, Jessica Hull 1500m, Mackenzie Little Javelin, 

Adding more Global medals this year takes these athletes into the upper echelons of Australian athletics history:
- Nicola Olyslagers moves to equal #4 Australian on the career Global medals list, with six medals, equal with Cathy Freeman
- Eleanor Patterson equal #6 with five,
- Jessica Hull equal #8 with four.

Rhydian Cowley made his sixth appearance at the World Championships, equalling the record of Steve Moneghetti & Jared Talent.  A number made their fifth appearance: Rohan Browning, Peter Bol, Brandon Starc, Linden Hall, Michelle Jenneke and Nicola Olyslagers.

National Records

Australian athetes broke 32 national senior records, including 4 indoor records and 4 World Junior records.  Look how the year unfolded, Australian records falling every month up to October, and then a couple more in December.

25-Jan 60m Lachlan Kennedy 6.43
29-Jan 60m Torrie Lewis 7.14
2-Feb Half Marathon Isobel Batt-Doyle 1:07:17
8-Feb 3000m Ky Robinson 7:30.38 (i)
8-Feb Mile Cameron Myers 3:47.48* =NR (i)
21-Feb 5000m Jack Rayner 12:59.43 (i)
6-Mar 1000m Georgia Griffith 2:34.50
15-Mar 4x100m Australia men 37.87
16-Mar 35km Walk Rhydian Cowley 2:25:21
16-Mar 35km Walk Olivia Sandery 2:42:40
23-Mar 1500m Georgia Griffith 4:00.80 (i)
6-Apr Discus Matthew Denny 72.07
10-Apr Discus Matthew Denny 74.25
13-Apr Discus Matthew Denny 74.78
26-Apr 5000m Rose Davies 14:40.43
26-Apr 1000m Abbey Caldwell 2:32.94
3-May 10km (road) Isobel Batt-Doyle 30:44
10-May 4x100m Australia mixed 41.15
11-May 4x400m Australia mixed 3:12.20
11-Jun 10000m Rose Davies 30:34.11
24-Jun 200m Gout Gout 20.02
11-Jul 800m Peter Bol 1:42.55
11-Jul 1000m Jessica Hull 2:30.96
19-Jul 5000m Rose Davies 14:31.45
19-Jul Mile Jessica Hull 4:13.68
9-Aug 3000m SC Ed Trippas 8:13.15
16-Aug 800m Claudia Hollingsworth 1:57.67
27-Aug High Jump Nicola Olyslagers 2.04
13-Sep 100m Torrie Lewis 11.08
19-Sep 800m Jessica Hull 1:57.15
7-Dec Marathon Jessica Stenson 2:21:24
11-Dec 10,000m Walk Isaac Beacroft 38:02.68*

*Beacroft's and Myer's times were also World U20 Records. Myers mile time was an overall & indoor WU20R as well as a 1500m indoor WU20R en route.

Worth noting Denny's 74.25 missed the world record by 10cm, and the 74.78 went over, but Mykolas Alekna had already thrown further in the same competition.

Denny's final record was a 6.9% improvement on the record at the start of the year (69.96), the biggest leap.  Olivia Sandery improved the 35km RW record by 2.9%, the Australian mixed 4x400m relay team (Van Ratinge, Beer, Thorne, Bull) by 2.4%, and Jessica Hull the 1000m by 2.3%.

Other points of note:

Ed Trippas breaks one of the oldest track records on the books, taking 3.07 seconds off Shaun Creighton's 32-year-old 3000m steeplechase record.    

Izzi Batt-Doyle's half marathon record broke Kerryn McCann's 25-year-old record.

Another long standing record to go was Craig Mottram's 17-year-old indoor 3000m record, broken by Ky Robinson.

Rose Davies' two new long distance records also broke the long standing (16 years) Oceania records of Kim Smith (NZ).

Jessica Hull continued her record breaking ways (every year since 2020) extending down into the shorter middle distances which means she currently holds all six outdoor national records from 800 to 2000m.

Georgia Griffith broke her second Jessica Hull record, something of a distinction in this era, with the 1500m indoor record (adding to her 3000m NR) and finished a close second to Rose Davies in her 5000m record run, becoming second Australian woman under 14:40 in the 5000m.

Diamond League

It was the busiest year ever seen in terms of Australian athletes competing in the Diamond League. Overall 42 athletes competed (a record), with 26 of them scoring a total of 305 points (another record).

Come the finals, Australia had eleven athletes compete, which equalled the record compared with similar finals format back to 2017.  In the final a record equalling four top 3 finishes and a record eight top 4 finishes which were:

DL CHAMPION  Nicola Olyslagers High Jump
SECOND Jessica Hull 1500m
THIRD Linden Hall 1500m, Liam Adcock Long Jump
FOURTH Kurtis Marschall Pole Vault, Matthew Denny Discus, Mackenzie Little Javelin, Georgia Griffith 3000m

World Athletics Awards

Nicola Olyslagers becomes only the second Australian, after Sally Pearson, to receive a World Athletics Award, winning women's field athlete of the year, given her domination in the high jump. 

Grand Slam Track

The year saw the emergence of a new league in athletics with Grand Slam Track.  Jessica Hull was the only Australia invited as a 'Racer' for the short distance category (800m/1500m), in a format where four racers met four challengers over two different distances each meet. Over the three meets, Hull finished 4th overall in Kingston, 5th in Miami and 2nd in Philadelphia.

Other Australians were invited as Challengers to various meets:
Peter Bol (800m/1500m) Miami 5th overall
Sarah Carli (400m/400mH) Miami 6th overall
Abbey Caldwell (800m/1500m) Philadelphia 4th overall
Ky Robinson (3000m) Philadelphia 3rd 

Sadly it looks as if this may be the only year for Grand Slam Track, but World Athletics took up the innovation challenge and introduced a new event for 2026, the World Ultimate Championships. 

World University Games

Another opportunity for Australia's younger athletes to particpate on the world stage, and another outstanding result for those competing, with a large number achieving personal bests.  In terms of medals a record collection again, most number of total medals (10) and most number of golds (5)

GOLD  Georgia Harris (100m), Elizabeth McMillen (20km RW), Benjamin Guse (Decathlon), Connor Murphy (Triple Jump), Womens 4x100m relay (Harris, Kristie Edwards, Olivia Rose Inkster, Jessica Milat)
SILVER  20km RW team (both mens & womens)
BRONZE  Desleigh Owusu (Triple Jump), Emelia Surch (Heptathlon), Roman Anastasios (High Jump)

Australia had never medalled in the triple jump at these championships, in which Australia first competed in 1937, so it was great to see double success.

What a year!

A fantastic year for Australian athletes, but this is not in isolation, with momentum building since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.  Expectations are raised that this will continue into 2026, and only more so after the 4x2km cross country relay team (Oliver Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey, Jessica Hull) became the first world champions for the year.

Expect an exciting Summer Series of athletics over the next few months, with meets in Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Melbourne, as well as the Short Course Nationals in Melbourne, culminating in the National Championships on the newly resurfaced track in Sydney.  Then Darwin hosts the Oceania Championships in May. 

Internationally we've got World Indoor Championships in March, World Relays in May and the Diamond League action starts building from the Chinese meets in May.  A major focus for athletes will be trying to gain selection for the Commonwealth Games in July, but some will also be trying to qualify for the Diamond League finals in early September.  For those highly world-ranked athletes, the World Ultimate Championships take place a week later.  In late September a change of surface takes us to the World Road Championships.

That's a huge year gone and another huge year to come .. and at TrackAthletes we'll be doing our best to keep up you up-to-date. 

Details for all these coming meets are on our website and you can add meets, as well as athletes, to your watchlist.  Our Stats page lists the National Records and will shortly start listing the National Leads for 2026. 

Tune in! 

Australia's two current Global Champions, Nina Kennedy, Olympic Pole Vault champion, and Nicola Olyslagers, World High Jump champion, have already booked their tickets for the Ultimate Championships in August 2026.

But what do other athletes have to do to qualify for the international events in 2026? There’s a multitude of teams to be selected, which also means multiple sets of standards to meet. 

This article gives you an overview of how athletes can qualify for these major international championships, and an update on which athletes have got in early to achieve the standards.

The qualification period for the World Indoor Championships (WiC) has only just started – linking with the Northern Hemisphere indoor season – but given this is now “short track”, Australian outdoor times in the relevant events also register.

The standards are for the qualifying period 1st Nov. 2025 to 8th Mar 2026 and are linked here.

No Australian athlete has achieved a standard at this stage, however, as with previous years, the Australian selection policy notes the focus of the year is a major international championships - in 2026 the Commonwealth Games (CG) - so it links selection for the WiC with those standards.

Athletes with the Commonwealth Games standard also need the WiC standard, or to be in the World Athletics Top Performers list. Multieventers need the CG standard plus an invite from World Athletics. If athletes only have the WiC standard then they also have to be top 20 in the Top Performers list if the maximum field target is more – or within the maximum field target if less than 20. 

So what are the CG standards set by Australian Athletics and how are Australians placed against these?  The qualifying period started back on 1st September 2025 (1st Feb. '25 for 10000m, multievents & 10000 race walk) so those competing at the Tokyo World Championships had an opportunity to meet the standards which can be found at the link here (closes 30th May 2026):

At this stage 13 athletes have achieved the standard:

Men: Reece Holder 400m, Jude Thomas 1500m, Ky Robinson 5000m & Kurtis Marschall Pole Vault

Women: Torrie Lewis 200m, Jessica Hull 800m & 1500m, Abbey Caldwell 800m, Rose Davies, Isobel Batt-Doyle & Lauren Ryan 10000m, Nicola Olyslagers & Eleanor Patterson High Jump, Mackenzie Little Javelin

For those with events at WiC, meeting the WiC standard before 8th March, or having an excellent performance that places them in the Top Performers list would give them a good chance of selection.

They are also well-placed for the Commonwealth Games selection. Having a CG standard and winning the National title in April ‘26 (or Zatopek in December ‘25 for 10000m, or 10000m RW Championships in January ‘26) is an automatic nomination, provided athletes meet other criteria such as performing in at least one Summer Series event.

Discretionary nominations for Commonwealth Games occur after 30th May and the committee will look at a range of performance factors, including an athlete’s ranking within the Commonwealth. The team is limited to 63 athletes.

For the Oceania Athletics Championships there is only automatic nominations … a US trials-like system all based on performances at the National Championships for the first two athletes, with the third athlete being picked automatically from the rankings list for the season. This applies only to athletes that nominate to compete at these championships in Darwin in May. 

For athletes that see their best pathway to qualifying for the World Championships in 2027 through world ranking points then this is a crucial event given the ranking points are significant and last for two years. In 2026 there is another factor that may see more athletes than usual nominate for the regional championships.

The Ultimate Championships in September 2026 aim to bring together the top athletes in the world to compete for this new title and significant prize money.  The most recent Olympic, World and Diamond League champions get an automatic invite.  But fields will also be made up of the top ranked athletes per the world rankings between 2nd Sept. ’25 and 1st Sept. ’26. 

The points on offer at the regional championships could well be crucial for Australian athletes wishing to boost their world ranking.  If the Ultimate Championships were held now athletes like Gout (current world rank #17 200m), Holder (#18 400m), Bol (#17 800m) and Griffith (#19 1500m) would just miss out.

Australia has two champions who are pre-qualified for the Ultimate Championship, Nina Kennedy (Olympic Pole Vault Champion) and Nicola Olyslagers (World High Jump Champion).  If held today, others that would qualify based on their current world ranking:

Men: Kennedy (#16 100m), Myers (#9 1500m), Robinson (#9 5000m), Marschall (#3 Pole Vault), Adcock (#3 Long Jump)

Women: Lewis (#15 200m), Hull (#11 800m & #2 1500m), Billings (#15 800m), Hall (#7 1500m), Patterson (#3 High Jump), Little (#4 Javelin)

The other key qualification race is for spots on the Australian team for the World U20 Championships. The Australian U20 Championships becomes something of a trail, with the highest finishing eligible athlete getting an automatic selection.  The second athlete for each event will be a discretionary nomination, however all athletes must have achieved the standard to be eligible.  These standards are for the qualifying period 1st Oct.’25 to 26th July ’26 and the link can be found here

Keep an eye out for emerging junior athletes as the challenge these standards. To date junior athletes that have achieved the standard:

Men: S.Kennedy 200m & 400m, Kasiano 200m, Gout & Beiers 400m, Williams 800m, Ronan 10000m RW

Women: Fryga 800m & 1500m, Mantay 5000m, Wilson Discus, Louison-Roe High Jump, Brayshaw Pole Vault

[edit, qualified since article published]
Men: Van Camp 800m, Barrett & Chis 5000m, Jensen 110mH
Women: Acklin 800m, Rangi Pole Vault, Wayne Discus

So lots of numbers and many permutations and combinations. Trackathletes is here to help you navigate all of this so you can better appreciate the athletes' journeys in their quest for qualification. Visit our website, 'star' your favourite athletes so you get updates on when they next compete, and follow our socials for updates and information. 

Looking down the start lists for the Zurich Diamond League finals it appeared everything was as per the qualifying tables.

The first day listed the Australians who had gained enough points to qualify during the season (explainer here).  In the high jump (early morning Thursday aest), the fabulous duo Nicola Olyslagers & Eleanor Patterson fly once again.  Olyslagers amazingly in her sixth straight final, with second in the last two years, and will be keen for that crown. Currently ahead 4-3 in this year’s head-to-head against Mahuchikh.  Patterson in her third final, with a best of fourth, is always ready to surprise.

Kurtis Marschall had his first pole vault final back in 2018, but had to wait until 2023 for his second, where he finished fourth.  Now in his third and definitely will be pushing for the podium.

Not sure of the stats on debutant Diamond League athletes topping the points for the season but that’s what Liam Adcock achieved in the long jump and with style.  His last jump victory in Rome was a classic and we’d love to see that again for the title.

Then the day two start lists come out.  Matthew Denny first up of the Australians, competing against the disc throwing collective: Alekna, Ceh & Stahl.  Denny always finds something extra in the final: he has three Diamond League wins in total, but two of those were for the championship ('23, '24).  He attempts to become only the fifth man in Diamond League history to win 3 consecutive titles in a field event.  Also the first Australian to win three Diamond League titles (Nina Kennedy has two).

Next the women’s 3000m, remembering they have cut the 5000m races back to the shorter distance.  Who do we see – Rose Davies and Georgia Griffith!  That’s a nice surprise.  Rose was ranked 16th & Georgia 24th; talk about a ‘roll down’!  Interesting they’ll be competing against Fantaye Belayneh who visited Australia during the summer and just beat Griffith in the 3000m at the Maurie Plant meet.  Given both of them have gone to new levels over 5000m this year, this is one to watch.

Two Australians also racing the 1500m, Jessica Hull & Linden Hall.  There will be no Faith Kipyegon so we’ll see the first new champion since 2019.  On times, Hull is the fastest and Hall just keeps improving.  Another one to watch, and with Catriona Bisset on the pacing duties.

Given the strength of Australian women’s middle distance, the wild card entry for the World Championships for the winner has huge significance in these two events, as the additional fourth spot can be easily filled with a qualified athlete.

Mackenzie Little earned her finals spot in the wet at Lausanne and will throw in the last field event Friday morning in her third final and looking to improve on her third in 2023.

The men’s 1500m is unfortunately missing Cameron Myers who qualified but has decided not to run.  It will still be a cracker of a race with Yared Nuguse trying to get the wild card entry against a top quality field, including the exciting 20-year-old Neils Laros.

Sarah Billings has been selected to run the 1500m at the World Championships but will run her first Diamond League final over 800m.  Without Keely Hodgkinson the field is looking more even, with season bests ranging between 1:56 to 1:57.  Billing’s strength & speed over the last 100m could be a factor.

2025 has been one of Australia’s best Diamond League seasons:
- equal most podiums (31) cf 2024 (31)
- most athletes scoring points (26) cf 2023 (23)
- highest total points scored (306) cf 2024 (274)

So not surprising there is a record 11 athletes competing in the final.  The best Australian result in the finals is four podiums, including two wins (2024), and its looking likely this will be challenged. 

Previous Diamond League Champions

2011  Mitchell Watt  Long Jump
2016  Fabice Lapierre  Long Jump
2018  Brandon Starc  High Jump
2023  Matthew Denny  Discus
2024  Matthew Denny  Discus

2017  Sally Pearson  100m Hurdles
2022  Nina Kennedy  Pole Vault
2024  Nina Kennedy  Pole Vault

With three Diamond League meetings happening over the next week, the rolling updates in this article will track Australian athletes in their attempts to qualify for the Diamond League Final (Zurich 27-28 August).  An explainer on the Diamond League can be found here.

Update 22nd August

Outcomes from Lausanne

In atrocious conditions the athletes must have been thinking of competing without getting injured, as well as striving for times, height and distance.  Summary of results here.

In terms of finals qualification, Mackenzie Little was in the hot seat (or rainy runway?).  Needing a 6th place or better, plus beating one of her rivals, she probably thought after her first throw of 56.15m that it was a good start but would need to improve.  As it happened, and as the rain got heavier, that throw ending up giving her 5th place, which meant she qualifies 5th for the final.

Already finals qualified athetes had a hit out with Nicola Olyslagers winning in a three-way tie off one clearance at 1.91m, Eleanor Patterson 4th on a countback with the same height.  Liam Adcock, 8th in the long jump, and Kurtis Marschall, no height in the pole vault, will both turn their focus now to Zurich,

The result of the 800m, in which Claudia Hollingsworth finished 7th in 1:58.81, confirmed Sarah Billings has qualified at this distance for the final.

The women's 4x100m relay team (Connolly, Rizzo, Edwards, Lewis) managed to get a slippery baton around the track in 43.24, ahead of Cote D'Ivoire, although both these teams look to have sewn up the last two qualifying spots for World Championships. 

Brussels 22nd August

The calendar waits for no-one, and we have Brussels on early tomorrow morning.  Matthew Denny probably just needs a legal discus throw to confirm his qualification, while Linden Hall has a bit more work to qualify for the 1500m.

There's a range of scenarios in the women's 1500m as to who qualifies given a number of women at the top of points table are not competing (including Jessica Hull).  In summary, it appears if Hall can finish in the top 6 and beat one of the USA athletes she'll likely qualify. A 7th or 8th placing could still see her through to the final depending on other placings.  Interestingly Faith Kipyegon will not qualify for the final, meaning we'll have a new women's 1500m DL champion for the first time since 2019.

Zurich 27-28 Aug

In summary, Australia has six athletes qualified for the final:
High Jump: Nicola Olyslagers & Eleanor Patterson
Long Jump: Liam Adcock
Pole Vault: Kurtis Marschall
Javelin: Mackenzie Little
800m: Sarah Billings

Two competing in Brussels can seal their qualification:
Discus: Matthew Denny
1500m: Linden Hall

And two are sitting Brussels out but are likely to qualify:
1500m: Jessica Hull
1500m: Cameron Myers

Update 20th August

Outcomes from Silesia

Linden Hall and Cameron Myers gained some valuable DL points with 6th place finishes.  This pushes Myers into a relatively safe spot for finals qualification and moves Linden Hall, who also PB'ed, into a finals qualifying spot - see Brussels section below.

Claudia Hollingsworth's 800m Area Record was a highlight, with Abbey Caldwell very close behind in a PB.  Hollingsworth has been added to the DL 800m in Lausanne.  Kurtis Marschall again tests the six metre mark and finishes 3rd.  

Jessica Hull ran the 4th fastest time ever for 2000m in pacing Faith Kipyegon's 3000m WR attempt.  Lauren Ryan is in peak form, running her 3rd PB in a row, this time over 3000m.  Rose Davies finished a very credible 4th, with Georgia Griffith in 7th.

Oliver Hoare & Catriona Bisset have both commented their training form is not being reflected in their race results - both go again early Thursday morning.

Lausanne 20th August

The event with most significance early Thursday morning (aest) will be the Women's Javelin, with Mackenzie Little flying in to compete.  Little currently sits in 7th and in order to move into the final's qualifying top 6, needs to finish at least 6th in this event and beat one of Ruiz Hurtado or Sietina.  Perhaps more importantly in the lead up to the World Championships, Little will be hoping to find that 60m+ form that made her such a force in this event over the past few years.

Another event with potential ramifications is the non-DL women's "B" 800m in which Catriona Bisset & Bendere Oboya are racing.  There's a chance this is something of a head-to-head before the Australian World Championships team is selected next week, with one 800m spot still up for grabs. 

Claudia Hollingsworth gets a start in the DL 800m event, a great test in a quality field with many likely World Championship finalists.  The result of this event will not impact Sarah Billings current DL final qualifying spot for the 800m.

Jack Rayner goes in the 5000m (with Jude Thomas pacing).  Rayner's first 5000m since he ran his sub-13 minute PB indoors and then unfortunately had an injury derail his outdoor season.  Another reason to keep an eye on this event is the potential for results to impact Seth O'Donnell's qualification chances for World Championships - see more here.

The Australian Women 4x100m relay team will race at the end of the program against quality European teams and Cote D'Ivoire.  Sitting in 15th spot of 16, as one of only two time qualifiers, this race could have assisted a non-qualified country to challenge Australia's qualification time of 42.48  However, all teams running are qualified, except for Cote D'Ivoire which is listed at 16/16.  Therefore Australia is safe in this race (team listed is Ella Connolly, Kristie Edwards, Georgia Harris, Torrie Lewis), and will then hope a country does not have a fast relay during the few remaining National Championships this weekend. If they qualify, Australia will have all relay teams running at the World Championships!

Also competing are Australia's already DL final qualified athletes, Nicola Olyslagers & Eleanor Patterson in the high jump, Liam Adcock in the long jump & Kurtis Marschall in the street pole vault.

Brussels 22nd August

The startlists for the final DL event are out.  Australia has only two athletes competing but others will be keeping a close eye on results regarding potential finals qualification.

Matthew Denny returns to Europe for the discus event and will face all the other men currently in the world top 5.  Denny just needs to finish in the top 8 to qualify for the final for his fourth time, being crowned Diamond League champion the previous two years.

Linden Hall goes again in the 1500m after her PB in Silesia with work to do to make sur she finishes top 10.

Cameron Myers will not compete in the mens 1500m, but looks to be safe in his current 7th spot, given there's only 3 men in the race who could pass him on points.

Australia's record year at the Diamond League

So if all goes well for the Australians over these next two meets we could see ten athletes qualifying for the Diamond League final this year in Zurich 27-28 August, which would equal 2023 as the most ever.  It has already been a record year in terms of most number of Australians competing at a Diamond League and scoring points, the most total points scored in a year and the most number of podiums.

Update 16th August

Athletes who have Qualified

In the women's high jump, it will be no surprise that Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers have qualified. This will be Patterson's 3rd final (best 4th in 2024) while Olyslagers has competed in every final since 2019 (two seconds & two thirds).

You wouldn't think this was Liam Adcock's debut Diamond League year - he took 2nd in Xiamen and then a stunning last jump win in Rome to lead the long jump standings where he's remained.

Kurtis Marschall vaulted his first DL final in 2018, but his second wasn't until 2023.  He goes again looking to improve on the 4th two years ago.

By my calculations Sarah Billings has qualified for the 800m final, based on the startlist running in Lausanne where only three athletes can pass Billings who currently sits in 5th so will finish in the top 8.

Silesia 16th August

There's a number of non Diamond League events on the program in Silesia in which Australians are competing.  While non-point scoring they are of interest regarding form in the lead up to the World Championships.

In the 3000m Jessica Hull will be pacing Faith Kipyegon's World Record attempt.  Given Georgia Griffith's current form it wouldn't surprise if she gives her own Australian record of 8:24.20 a scare.  Rose Davies & Lauren Ryan also racing the 3000m in what could be a historic event.

The other non-scoring track event for Australians is the 800m where Abbey Caldwell & Claudia Hollingsworth, both already selected for the World Championships. The third spot for WCH 800m is still up for grabs, and this is the last chance for Catriona Bisset to make a strong claim with a sub-2 minute performance. 

On the Friday there will be three non-scoring events in the Katowice town square including a high jump in which Nicola Olyslagers is competing.

So what of the scoring events? 

With a finals birth already locked, Kurtis Marschall goes in the pole vault with freedom to test the limits.

Which leaves the 1500m events where points will be crucial.  Sarah Billings and Linden Hall compete in the womens event. Hall is the 3rd most prolific Australian at the Diamond League, just behind Stewart McSweyn and Ryan Gregson, and closing in on 50 appearances - a phenomenal record.  She'll need all her experience to navigate this highly competitive field, and needs good points here and in Brussels to qualify for the final (currently 16th).  Likewise for Billings who is currently 11th, but may decide to focus on the 800m after this meet.

In the mens, Cameron Myers is currently 6th and will be looking for good points to protect this position to stay top 10.  Oliver Hoare also goes in the 1500m and while he is out of finals contention, would love to go sub-3:30, as will Myers. Is Hoare's Australian record (3:29.41) under threat?

Lausanne 20th August

Seven Australians currently listed to compete in what are all scoring events.  Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson down for the high jump which is the last before the Zurich and with 7 of the top 10 in the world competing, and an important competition before World Championships. Of her 34 DIamond League appearances, Olyslagers has finished on the podium 28 times, an incredible conversion ratio, and the most podiums of any Australian.

Another guaranteed finalist, Liam Adcock, will compete in the long jump.  Currently ranked 5th in the world, he competes against those ranked 1-4, so would love to make a statement before the DL final and the World Championships. 

Kurtis Marschall vaults the day before in a city pole vault event.  With no Duplantis listed, it gives a chance for Marschall (ranked #4 in the world), to perhaps grab the win.

The women's javelin is where it gets really interesting with Mackenzie Little currently 7th.  To move into 6th and grab a finals spot, Little needs to finish at least 6th and beat one of Ruiz Hurtado or Sietina.

Recovered from injuries, Jack Rayner goes in the 5000m (with Jude Thomas pacing), and will be keen to make advances back to his sub-13 minute form. 

Brussels 22nd August

No startlists yet for Brussels, but the following events will impact Australian finals possibilities.

Men

Discus: we're likely to see Matt Denny return who sits 3rd and as good as qualified.

High Jump: if Yual Reath (currently 10th) can get an entry he'd likely need to finish top 3 to have a chance of a final's birth

1500m: depending what happens in Silesia likely Cameron Myers will still need to protect his finals position.

Women

1500m: depending on Silesia Linden Hall and possibly Sarah Billings could still be in the mix.  Jessica Hull may need to run to ensure her finals spot.

5000m: Linden Hall is also currently 9th for the 5000m based on her 3000m win in Stockholm. Has World Champs qualifying standards for both 1500m & 5000m, but four others do in each event, so no certainty on which event Hall will be competing in at World Championships until after 24th August which makes her choice difficult.  Rose Davies currently sits 13th for the 5000m, but only 1 point from 10th & 3 points from 6th.