This article will give rolling updates focused on those athletes trying to qualify and what they need to do over these next few weeks. We’ve done the work on trackathletes.au to provide all the latest information on the events in which they will be competing, as well as when and how you can watch them, track results etc. so enjoy!
20th August
For an update on the Diamond League meets and who's in the mix to make the Diamond League final you'll find an article here
As well as Lausanne Diamond League we also have a couple of other meets occuring.
After coming agonising close to getting the World Championships standard the other week, Ben Buckingham has one last 3000m steeplechase to make another attempt, along with nine other standard-hungary athletes at the BMC Tooting meet (5.30am aest)
A number of athletes are attracted to Pfundstadt in Germany, as the track has a reputation for fast middle distance times. For some this is a last ditch effort to jag a World Championships standard (Tess Kirsopp-Cole & Carley Thomas in 800m, Jack Anstey over 1500m), others will be looking to make a final impression on selectors (Georgia Griffith & Oliver Hoare over 1500m), while others are using it as a hitout before the Championships (Abbey Caldwell 800m, Lauren Ryan & Maudie Skyring 1500m)
Many others are now playing the waiting game. Those on the cusp of qualification through quota places (listed on this page) will be looking at the new Road To Tokyo list when it comes out Thursday morning aest.
Each event has its own story as to how this may pan out. For example for the women's 10000m, where two Australians sit just within quota (Rose Davies, Isobel Batt-Doyle), the paucity of events, as well as the tough standard, goes in their favour. For those on the cusp in 200m, 400m and long jump there's more likelihood someone from a National Championships may boost their points.
Take Seth O'Donnell as an example. By my calcualtions he sits 41st out of 42 in the 5000m with an average of 1226 points (his last event was after the RTT cut-off last week). Most of those below him will have a tough task getting the required points from Category F meetings which is all that remains and in which first place only gets 15 points. Basically they have to run the standard (13:01), or close to, which is equivalent to 1207 points.
However two athletes below Seth are running in Lausanne Diamond League with big points on offer. If Filip Ingebrigtsen (NOR) runs a SB (13:12) he needs to finish 6th or better. Similarly for Jonas Raess (SUI), he needs to finish 9th or better with a SB (13:12). However Raess also potentially has the Swiss Championships on the weekend, a Cat B event, which gives him a good point scoring opportunity.
So if Seth drops below 42nd he needs to hope there's people in the list who will not compete (injured / unavailable) or not selected. Seth may also look for a Cat F meet on the weekend to see if he can improve his points - this would require a sub-13:12, a PB.
Plenty to watch out for as the qualification period comes to a close, get your calculators ready! Ranking tables updated Thursday morning.
16th August
Three big meets on this evening which will have ramifications for both World Championships qualification, as well as Diamond League finals qualification. You can watch all meets on free youtube livestreams from 11pm aest - check the "Next Broadcast" section.
Silesia Diamond League (Poland)
The highlight is Faith Kipyegon's world record attempt over 3000m, which Jessica Hull will be pacing into the latter stages. Also three Australians racing, and 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 following their big 5000m PBs, will be looking to do similar over this distance.
Abbey Caldwell & Claudia Hollingsworth are racing the 800m, for which they have both been selected for the World Championships. The third 800m Australian spot is still up for grabs and this is the last chance for Catriona Bisset to make a strong claim with a sub-two minute performance.
With both a DL finals birth and WCH standard already locked in, Kurtis Marschall goes in the pole vault with freedom to test the limits.
Sarah Billings & Linden Hall compete in the 1500m. 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 will be looking to impress the selectors who have to chose two athletes from four qualified (Hull, Hall, Griffiths, Caldwell). Billings is already selected for the 1500m following her second at Nationals and performances over the summer, and will be looking to sharpen her form.
In the mens 1500m, Cameron Myers & Oliver Hoare race, with Hoare's Australian record (3:29.41) under threat. Myers will also be keen to protect his current DL standing (6th) so he is eligible for the final (top 10).
Meeting voor Mon (Belgium)
There's a theme across all three meets this evening - Australian 800m women racing for the third WCH spot. In Belgium Tess Kirsopp-Cole & Carley Thomas racing with both looking to break the two minute barrier, with sub 1:59 the WCH standard.
Alanah Yukich sits in a relatively 'safe' 34/40 quota place for WCH and will be looking for a strong performance, ideally sub-55 seconds which would be a PB, with 54.65 the WCH standard.
After his stunning National Record and WCH qualifier over the steeples, Ed Trippas has decided to reward himself with a flat 1500m and will be joined by Matthew Ramsden & Jackson Sharp, whose 1500m PB (3:36.82) looks tenuous given his last two races have been PBs (5000m/3000m).
Maudie Skyring also stepping down to the 1500m, while Danielle Shaw goes over the 100m hurdles.
CITIUS Meeting (Switzerland)
Crunch time for Michelle Jenneke. Her qualification hinges on getting the standard (12.73) which she has been getting so close to - a windy 12.75 (+2.4), and then last week a wind legal 12.81 (+1.6).
Continuing the 800m theme, this meet sees Bendere Oboya go again over the distance. Assuming Hull & Billings who both have the 800m standard will focus on the 1500m and not try the double, Oboya is the next fastest this year of the athletes in contention, having gone sub-two minutes three times.
In the men's 800m Peyton Craig races, three days after his 1:44.24 in Hungary showed he's building into top form - could his first sub 1:44 be on the cards?
Exciting to see Rohan Browning joining the relay team, racing a 4x100m alongside Joshua Azzopardi, Calab Law & Jacob Despard. A second team of Connor Bond, Josiah John, Christopher Ius & Joseph Ayoade also racing.
13th August
Quick update to answer two questions: Why is tonights race so important for Seth O'Donnell? and What are all those sprinters doing in Fribourg?
Seth O'Donnell has a crucial race this evening in Finland (2.05am aest). After Seth's stunning 3000m in Sweden he now has a real chance of nabbing a qualifying quota place for the World Championships 5000m, given he sits 43rd currently, with 42 athletes qualifying. The problem is he's running out of good category meets.
Hence why, three days after Sweden, he's racing a 5000m at Motonet GP (Cat. D ) in Oulu. Going in his favour is there's not strong competition (the next best PB is 13:40 compared to Seth's 13:14), so he's a strong chance to pick up the 35 points for 1st. The downside is without the competition he'll be flying solo. Assuming he comes first, then he needs to run sub 13:25 to move up to 41st spot, and a PB 13:14 would see him move to 38th.
It's a tough ask, but then Seth's a renowned front runner, and ran a solo 13:22 in March this year at the Hagenauer Reserve, Box Hill. Go Seth!
If you look at the Fribourg International meeting startlists, there's something of an Aussie takeover with 14 athletes competing, including 10 sprinters. The women sprinters listed, Ella Connolly, Georgia Harris, Bree Rizzo & Leah O'Brien (first race since Nationals) look suspiciously like a very decent relay team, and surprise surprise, there's a women's 4x100m relay listed for Lausanne Diamond League (20-Aug). This will be the last chance for other countries to knock Australia out of its current qualifying spot based on a time of 42.48. Hopefully this means we'll have a team racing to ensure Australia goes to this World Championships with all relay teams qualified.
Also competing at Fribourg are Abbey Caldwell & Alanah Yukich, in what looks like a practice of the heats/finals pressure of World Champs with both also racing in 3 days time. Ellie Sanford & Carley Thomas listed to race the 800m with Abbey.
12th August
What a weekend of highlights ... hard to keep up!
Australia has been so well represented by a trio of men chasing the steeples for the last five years and it seemed any one of them was a possibility of breaking the long-standing record of Shaun Creighton's from 1993. As is the way of athletics, the moment gets condensed into a single race, all three run PBs, two go under the 8:16.22 mark and Ed Trippas is the one to fill in the new record application form with his 8:13.15 in Belgium. All credit goes to Ben Buckingham & Matthew Clarke who are very much part of that journey.
Lauren Ryan's incredible times over 10,000m, including breaking a 21-year national record, plus her shorter distance speed, suggested a 14:45 5000m was well on the cards. She came up trumps at Oordegem with 14:40.39, a 15 second PB and World Champs qualifier, adding to the matrix algebra that selectors have to compute to select a women's distance team.
A number of Australian athletes have been managing injuries given the extended duration of this season, and good to see Torrie Lewis make a 'recovered' statement with a sensational double at the Category B meet in Slovakia, running her 2nd best ever times in both the 100m & 200m for the wins. Another on the injury recovery journey, Michelle Jenneke, is getting oh so close to that 12.74 qualifier - running a (legal) SB of 12.81 (+1.6). Cooper Sherman also made an impressive return, almost posting a 400m PB with 45.51 for 4th.
Men's distance continues to excite. Seth O'Donnell matches it with a couple of seriously elite sub-12:50 5000m runners to grab 2nd over 3000m in a 30 second PB (7:34.03), #5 Australian all-time. With a good 5000m in the next couple of weeks he could move into a qualifying quota place. Jackson Sharp & Toby Gillen showed there's plenty more running post their recent NCAA careers, both posting handy 5000m PBs, while NCAA graduates & ON team mates Ky Robinson & Oliver Hoare battled it out for 1-2 in the Sir Walter Miler mile, with Ky grabbing the win & PB 3:50.80
Sestriere is a reknowned downhill skiing resort, and sprinters must also feel have a downhill sensation with the 2000m+ altitude and (fairly) reliable tailwind. Kristie Edwards and Mia Gross took advantage posting sub-23 second 200m, although the 100m sprinters unusually faced a headwind in their final.
Preview Gyulai István Memorial / Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix starts 13-Aug 1.30am aest
Another who's revelling in his return to the track is Chris Mitrevski with six comps since July, producing 3 wins, a 2nd & 3rd. He goes again early tomorrow morning (2am aest) in an elite field of World Champ hopefuls. A good performance will help solidify a qualifying quote place.
Georgia Griffith is down to race in the Silesia Diamond League Kipyegon-world record 3000m attempt in four days, so perhaps is using the 1500m tomorrow morning (1.53am) to get race sharp after a training block in the hills. Kurtis Marschall is also competing in both, as are the daunting trio of Duplantis-Karalis-Kendricks.
Others you can watch on the World Athletics livestream tomorrow morning: Peyton Craig in the 800m (1.44am), Brandon Starc high jump (1.20am), with Stewart McSweyn & Jackson Sharp going over 3000m (2.45am)
Action continues the next morning with a swag of Aussie sprinters in the Fribourg International Meeting from Switzerland
9th August
Update to 'Road to Tokyo'
Outcome from Thursday's update was always going to see Australian's slide a bit given the number of National championships being held although it was perhaps not as significant as expected.
Slipping just outside qualifying quota spots were Murphy (200m), Whelan (HJ), Amidzovski (LJ) and Newton-Smith (Hept.). At the moment we don't have them listed to compete in the next few weeks - so they would then rely on the the 'roll-down' ie athletes above withdrawing, so they move back into a qualifying spot.
There's still a few Nationals coming up as well as the regional NACAC Championships which provides big points. So those just inside qualifying will need to protect their points: Law & Milat (200m), Sherman (400m), Dale (LJ), Clarke & Cashin (3000m SC).
On the positive, Davies and Batt-Doyle remain just inside qualifying spots in the 10000m, and Connolly (200m) & Davidson (JT) limited the fall with good performances in Poland. Mitrevski has also jumped into a qualifying spot with big 8.08m and win in Serbia.
This weekends possibilities
While the focus is on those athletes attempting to qualify through a quote place, we did see Robinson & Hoare race a mile in the US, and Lewis get two good wins in Slovakia, with Starc finishing 4th - these athletes all have the standard or are in a 'safe' qualifying spot. Bisset ran an 800m in Poland, finishing 4th in 2:02.70 - needs the 1:59 standard which is very posible on her day.
Belgium tonight (9/10th Aug) is a highly competitive event so place points will be at a premium.
Cooper Sherman back in Europe currently 47/48 in the 400m - needs 1200+ to jump to 45th, which means close to his PB (45.26) & good place points
Ella Connolly ran 100m SB in Poland, sits 52/48 - like Cooper needs close to PB + place points
Women's 800m is intriguing - three women (Tess Kirsopp-Cole, Ellie Sanford, Carley Thomas) potentially vieing for the 3rd 800m spot are racing each other, while Bendere Oboya, the other one in contention, is listed to run the 400m. All are 'qualified' but if one can get the standard (1:59) that would catch the sleectors eye.
There's also a 'race off' in the men's 3000m SC with Ed Trippas, Matthew Clarke and Ben Buckingham. Clarke (34/36) needs to protect his spot - another SB (under 8:23) could see him jump a couple of spots. Trippas & Buckingham have dropped down the list and so their hopes of qualification probably revolve around the standard - it's 8:15 which would also be a new Australian record.
Speaking of 'race off's the hurdlers are out in force again, with Mitchell Lightfoot, Jacob McCorry, Celeste Mucci, Liz Clay, Michelle Jenneke all down to compete. The standard looms large for all (men 13.27, women 12.73) except Clay who with a sub 13 secs & top 8 could improve her 34/40 position. Jenneke is ranked #1 & Clay #4 in this field on PBs.
A number are entered for 1500m & 5000m events, but only Maudie Skyring is qualified (with the standard) and sits 4th on time behind Davies, Griffith & Hall. Depends how 1500m selections pan out re Griffith/Hall re the 5000m, but Skyring may be looking to go under Hall's time (14:43.61) to put herself 'ahead'.
A few events early morning 10-Aug. In Germany Eleanor Paterson and Yual Reath jumping. With Patterson already selected and Reath in a 'safe' qualifying spot this is a tune up for Diamond League meets (Patterson qualfied for final, Reath potentially still can) and the World Championships. Liam Fairweather is long jumping in Italy.
Over the weekend Tori West is making a last ditch effort to qualify through a heptathlon event in England after withdrawing from the previous event in France due to injury. A tough ask as she needs a PB score, but just getting close could see her grab a spot on the 'roll-down'.
Updates to come for Sestriere, Italy (exciting to see what Torrie Lewis can run at altitude), and Sollentuna, Sweden - both early Monday morning.
5th August
Hard to believe a year ago we were entranced with the magic of the Olympics and the wonderful performances of the Australian athletics team on the track and in the field.
Still over 5 weeks to wait until the Tokyo World Championships action begins, but the excitement is already building. Over the next three weeks it comes to something of a mini-crescendo with the cut-off for qualification being 24th August.
There’s 24 athletes selected already and 26 athletes with the World Championships standard – these are listed on the website here. Not all those with the standard will be selected (maximum 3 athletes per event, deciding not to compete in that event, not currently competing etc).
With a focus on the athletes that are trying to qualify through the quota place system here's an explainer on how that works.
There’s a big update to the “Road to Paris” (RTP) coming out Thursday (7th) morning AEST which will incorporate the results of the various National Championships that were held over the weekend. So best to wait for that before doing a full review.
However there’s a couple of meets early tomorrow morning that have implications, so here’s a summary of what to look for:
Amy Cashin racing a 2000m Steeple in Montreal – sits precariously in 36th spot with max 36. Safe to say Amy will beat her PB from 2008 (!) but needs around 6:10 with place points to boost her quota spot (Australian best is 6:09.48 Gregson 2019).
The other event tomorrow morning is the 8th International Wiesław Maniak Memorial in Poland. A great swag of Aussie athletes competing, including Peyton (800m) already selected, Holder (400m) who has the standard and in a ‘safe’ quota place, Davidson (Javelin 21/36). Also a surprise entry from Australian javelin record holder Kathryn Mitchell who hasn’t competed since the Olympics – likely the standard (64m) is out of reach (or is it?)
Those who are chasing qualification:
Mia Gross is ranked 37/48 for the 200m and needs sub-23 to boost her quota place. Is also running the 100m, along with Ella Connolly who has slipped outside a qualifying place (52/48) and needs sub-11.30 to boost her points.
Bendere Oboya is chasing the last 800m spot with Billings & Hollingsworth already selected. Likely the favoured athlete at this stage and grabbing the standard (1:59) would confirm this.
A big turnout in the women’s 100m hurdles: Clay, Jenneke, Mucci & Shaw. One of the most hotly contested events internationally this year, and Liz Clay has done well to be relatively ‘safe’ (32/40), but has a great chance to confirm this needing just sub-13.20 to improve.
Post-Olympics injury, Michelle Jenneke has done heroically well to run herself into sub-13 form. Unfortunately is running out of high ranking meets to get the high place points (currently 52/40). Two wins in Cat C races with 12.85 would still not be enough to move into a qualifying quota place. Therefore Jenneke’s best chance is to grab the standard (12.74), not out of the question given she recently ran a windy 12.75
Danielle Shaw & Celeste Mucci are similarly faced with the standard as their option for qualifying, as is Terrell Thorne in the 400m (45.00). This would mean a PB for all of them so they’ll be hoping for something special.
A number of these athletes have further meets coming up - click on thir profile to see what other opportunities they have to qualify.
