Peter Bol

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! 

Visiting Hobart's Domain athletics track, one's gaze is drawn up to the heights of Mt Wellington / Kunanyi, often to check the incoming weather.  While the track cannot claim "altitude" status as such, on a calm, clear evening the sense of space can often lead to times and distances that excel.

Given it's been ten years since Hobart hosted a “classic” meet, there are high hopes for Saturday’s meeting, with an influx of highly credentialled national and international athletes, and even the weather forecast looks like it will provide the perfect setting.

Fans would be advised to get to the meet early.  It’s not often you can say you’ve seen the second-best athlete in the world, and Hobart spectators will be the first to see Matthew Denny throw this season.  This is the first of three events in Australia for Denny, before heading to Ramona, aka ‘Throw Town’, that wind-swept part of Oklahoma where Denny almost took the discus World Record last year.

Speaking of second-best – Australia’s second fastest man ever over 100m, Lachlan Kennedy, returns to the track over 200m after a break of nine months.  Kennedy faces off against his training partner Calab Law, and local product (now Brisbane-based) Jacob Despard.

The other marquee events are the 3000m, given their National Championship status, the first open Championship events held in Hobart since 2001. 

In the open race the men’s field sees Callum Davies go in as favourite with his recent strong form, but if Alexander Stitt is there with 200m to go then expect a close finish.  Brett Robinson and Adam Goddard recently showed their track speed over 5000m, and the two steeplechasers Ed Trippas and Ben Buckingham will enjoy the freedom of a flat track.

The women’s race will be gripping given it boasts National record-holders for 3000m, Georgia Griffith, and for 5000m & 10000m Rose Davies.  Along with Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, they’ll be wanting a fast early pace because if it comes to a sprint-finish this brings into the mix fast-finishing record holders formerly for 800m (and currently U20 1500m) Claudia Hollingsworth and formerly 1000m Abbey Caldwell.

These 3000m events are also significant because they are a key part of the story that selectors will construct to determine the “discretionary” picks for the World U20 Championships in this event, given it will not be held at the Australian U20 Championships in Brisbane in April.

Alexander Cameron-Smith took the win over Lucas Chis at the Zatopek De Castella 3000m, and they battle again, but this time the contest will include Charles Barrett, who recently become Australia’s second youngest sub-4 miler.  Watch for the time as no junior has run under the World U20 qualifier of 8 minutes.

In the junior women’s contest, Imogen Baker’s season has been impressive with qualifiers across three distances.  Wanting to also make their case to the selectors will be Milla Roberts, who has the 3000m qualifier, and Eliza Lawton whose PB is also under the standard.

The theme of “junior race within the senior race” is also a feature of the women’s 800m.  Incredibly ten junior women have the World U20 800m standard and another four (Tobin, Emanuel, Williams, Owen) could join them after Saturday’s race.  Emma Fryga has been the fastest and she’ll be looking to be competitive with Jaylah Hancock-Cameron & Tess Kirsopp-Cole.

Hobart athletics fans were fortunate to see the great Sebastian Coe, in the twilight of his career, race a 1000m on the Domain back in 1990.  Peter Bol’s graceful, smooth style is reminiscent of Coe, and he races over 800m with much the same field as the Perth meet with the addition of exciting junior Tate van Camp.  Bob Abdelrahim has improved his PB each time he’s run this season – can that continue?

Missing from the 800m is the World U20 silver medallist Peyton Craig, because he’s turning his attention to the 1500m, a distance he showed early promise in.  His PB of 3:41.13 looks something of an anachronism, and sub-3:40 men Will Lewis and Connor Whitely will be pushing to get back to those levels.

Another one testing themselves in a different event is Olympic decathlon bronze medallist Ashley Moloney, who’s entered for the 400m hurdles.  A 45 seconds 400m runner and sub-8 second 60m hurdler, Moloney has the elements to produce something exciting.  He’s up against newly minted sub-50 seconds man, Matthew Hunt.

In the women’s 400m hurdles, Alanah Yukich has made the trip from Perth and often runs her best after long travels.  Marli Wilkinson will want to continue her strong start to the season.

There’s a couple of returning winners from that 2016 Hobart meet.  Hamish Peacock’s longevity in the sport is incredible, and while his 80 metres days are behind him, he’ll enjoy competing with Sri Lankan Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage and Frenchman Felise Vaha'i Sosaia as they challenge that mark and his meet record of 80.77m.

Jack Hale’s the other 2016 winner returning, with his new-found form from the grass tracks and various gift wins.  Will be interesting to see how this translates to the track and in a field that includes fast men from Japan, Rai Atago, and Sri Lanka, Merone Wuesinghe.

The women sprinters are making the most of the visit, with many backing up in the 200m after the 100m.  Amaya Mearns, Ella Connolly, Olivia Rose Inkster and Mia Gross are all running the double.  And will have to contend with Bree Rizzo in the 100m, and then in-form Monique Hanlon in the 200m, as well as the return of 2019 National Champion, Maddie Coates.

The women’s hammer event is of high-quality with two National record holders and 70m+ Olympians in Lauren Bruce (NZ) and Stephanie Ratcliffe.   Emma Berg and Alexander Kolesnikoff look to be the leading contenders in their respective shot put events.

Quality continues in the jumps with World U20 long jump champion Delta Amidzovski, facing two-times National champion Sam Dale and World University Games medallist Emelia Surch.  World U20 silver medallist Izobelle Louison-Roe goes up against fellow 1.90m+ high jumper Emily Whelan.  In the men’s triple jump, winner in Perth Awan Akuen, Shemaiah James and Liam Glew will all be looking to push each other well over that 16m mark.

It's a fast-paced high-quality meet in Hobart, finishing with some cracking 3000m racing.  Plenty of high points and highlights for sure.

Perth is well known for its hard, bouncy surfaces - think the old WACA cricket pitch. But there's nothing better than a soft layer under a hard top - not talking the pavlova in Freo - but the Mondo surface at Perth’s Athletics Stadium.

The forecast for the Perth Track Classic looks just about right - high 20's - to cook the vulcanised rubber & polymer compounds perfectly for the sprinters.  Get ready for some explosive action, including in the jumps, and provided the Fremantle Doctor behaves itself, we should be in for a night of wind-legal excitement.

What better way to start the evening than with Australia’s most recent Olympic athletics Champion returning to the runway in the POLE VAULT. Nina Kennedy will enjoy the moment in front of her home crowd, and to say she is an inspiration for many athletes is an understatement.  It’s perhaps no coincidence that last year Australia had the most number of women over 4.00 metres in the pole vault ever (11), with four of them juniors.

Another great champion for Australian athletics, Brooke Buschkuehl has also recently returned to the runway.  But in Perth it’s a slightly different version – this time facing the TRIPLE JUMP take-off board.  World University Games bronze medallist Desleigh Owusu will likely appreciate the domestic competition on her first hop-step-jump for the season, and will also be joined by Izobelle Louison-Roe whose season’s started in leaps and bounds with World Junior qualifiers in both triple and high jumps. Last time she jumped, Karla Boras was just 13cm from that qualifier and will be hopping (sorry!) to break that 13 metre mark.

And continuing the theme of champions, Michelle Jenneke flies to Perth and will look to continue her form after the recent World Indoors qualifier over the 60m HURDLES.  While the Commonwealth standard of 12.73 looks tough this early in the season, Jenneke has started with her first sub-13 in January ever.  Speaking of sub-13, Danielle Shaw and Emily Britton after good starts to 2026, would also love to see a “12” at the front of their time, and advance their standing in the Commonwealth rankings – an important factor the selectors will be considering.

It’s now 5.15pm AWST, hopefully dropping to under 30 degrees, and the wind less than 7.2 km/h (2.0 m/s). Heats of the WOMEN’S 100m.

Zoe Hobbs isn’t travelling all the way to Perth for the pavlova.  Her first visit to Perth is purely to run fast.  The Oceania record holder has gone sub-11 already this year (albeit windy) – don’t miss this heat run because Hobbs will likely want to make the most of every chance she has on this track.  Bree Rizzo, Ebony Lane and recent World Indoors qualified Olivia Dodds, will all have the same mindset.

Also keep an eye on the incredible junior talent in these heats.  It won’t be hard to spot Thewbelle Philp – she’ll be the one rocketing out of the blocks – and look out for Kate Philpott & local Jessica Hanney – both have World Junior qualifiers (11.77).  Another below the qualifying time is local Charlotte Ehioghae, but at just 14-years-old she has a couple of years to wait to be eligible.

The MEN’S 100m gives us the chance to see Rohan Browning, Joshua Azzopardi and Joseph Ayoade first runs for the season.  Browning will have fond memories of Perth given he won the National title there last year, and will be keen to make the most of the track, as to Jacob Despard, Connor Bond and Christopher Ius. 

Keep an eye out for Alexander Colgan who ran a (very) windy 10.01 and Benjamin Kelly, still just 19 years, who emerged from Canberra with a new PB of 10.23 (+1.2), improvement of 0.42 from the start of the year.  Also local speedstar Josiah John with the 10.50 World Junior qualifier in sight, a time he’s been under every year for the past three years.

At the same time the men are finishing their 100m heats, the pole vaulters will start launching themselves into the Perth-blue sky.  Kurtis Marschall will have noticed the strange discrepancy in men’s POLE VAULT standards between World Indoors (5.90m) & Commonwealth Games (5.65m), while for other field events the standards are similar.  Other vaulters like Dalton Di Medio (PB 5.51m) and Aidan Princena-White (PB 5.53m) may well fancy their chances against that Commonwealth standard.

The LONG JUMPERS will also be warming up.  Since 2006, at least two Australians have jumped over eight metres every year (not incl. 2020).  Eleven of those years it’s been three. Who will be the first this year?  Jalen Rucker looks to be back to form with a recent 7.94m, and Liam Fairweather will be looking to replicate that eight metre jump he achieved in Perth last year.

And just to backtrack – where else have we see the men competing up to this stage?

We’ve had the men tackle the 5000m in the heat at 4.30pm.  A tough ask but Jonathan Harris and Matthew Ramsden would have taken up the challenge and probably led the way.

The 110m HURDLES men including Timothy Forster and William Wong would have been hoping to break 14 seconds and had Japanese athlete Ryo Koike (PB 13.57) to chase.

Yual Reath would have flown in the HIGH JUMP, keen to clear that 2.28m he just missed in Melbourne and maybe more.

Things are hopefully cooling by 6pm, but on the track it’s just hotting up.  Expect a roar from the crowd when the MEN’S 800m field is introduced and hometown hero, Peter Bol steps forward.  The young Bol started his trade in Perth with bold front running, and while he’ll likely be more measured given his first race of the season, there’s no relaxing in this field.

Being the King means there’s others wanting your crown. The battles Bol has had domestically with Luke Boyes and Daniel Williams are becoming legendary, with less than a second separating them on most occasions.

Perth will add another chapter to that story, but Bol also faces challenges from his own camp with the Justin Rinaldi trained athletes a big presence in this field.  Newly-minted 1:46 man Bob Abdelrahim will look to back up that stunning start to the season.  Four internationals have decided to kick-off their seasons in Australia at the Rinaldi ‘stables’, with 1:44 runner Tiarnan Crorken (GBR) the quickest on paper and fresh off his 4-flat mile run in Melbourne.

Next on the track we have the 400m FINALS.  Such a thrill to see Australian 4x400m relay teams once again prominent on the international stage and the talent has travelled to Perth to test out the Mondo.

In the women’s race, while Ellie Beer is the stand-out, only a second separates most of the rest of the field.  Jemma Pollard has put down a marker with her 52.18 PB for others to test themselves against in what for most is their first race of the season including local Amelia Rowe, who returns home from a one-month training camp in South Africa.

Less than a second also covers a good chunk of the men’s field.  Cooper Sherman and Thomas Reynolds pushed each other to PBs last month in Canberra – wouldn’t it be great if they can push again and both go under 45 seconds.  Junior Seth Kennedy will be keen to improve his World U20 qualifying mark in this strong field.

Earlier in the program we also would have seen the one lappers who decide to make things more difficult by jumping hurdles as well. Sarah Carli and Alanah Yukich are the best exponents of the 400m HURDLES craft in Australia amongst the women, and the Olympians will battle it out.  A couple of juniors, Maiya Hewitt and Mia Shelley, will have their own head-to-head, with Shelley looking to push under 60 seconds for the first time.

Similarly in the DISCUS earlier, Olympian Taryn Gollshewsky will lead the way for the World U20 qualified juniors, Chelsey Wayne and Lauren Kelly.

And the men’s JAVELIN would have likely seen the thrill of 80 metres throws from Rumesh Pathirage (SRI) and maybe Felise Vaha’I Sosaia (FRA) with Neil Janse and Hamish Peacock the leading Australians, and recently qualified World U20 Decathlete, local Wyatt Hill competing.

While many of her middle-distance Australian team-mates have been jetting about, Abbey Caldwell has been building a solid base at home. Already with the WOMEN’S 1500m World Indoors standard, her next target is 4:01.50 for the Commonwealth standard, and Caldwell will be pleased to see good friend to Australian shores, Nozomi Tanaka in the field, as she is never one to let the pace slow. Jaylah Hancock-Cameron has really powered over the last 300m of her recent 800m races and looks in PB form for this event. There’s also an interesting trans-Tasman contest between two leading juniors, Emma Fryga from Brisbane and Scarlett Robb from Auckland.

The 200m events complete the evening.  Christoper Ius will be expected to lead out the men, but two fast Japanese competitors as well as Jake Hayter and local Christopher Geordas – both of whom have run PBs this year – will be chasing him down.

In the women’s race Ella Connolly always finds good form in the domestic season, and her recent 400m time suggests she could push for sub-23 seconds. Watch for another young local talent, 15-year-old Emilia Reed, who stunned last year at Nationals on this track breaking the National under 16 100m record.

Here's to a fast and furious Perth Track Classic, and maybe some pavlova after to celebrate! 

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! 

July is a big month for Australian athletes chasing time and points for Tokyo World Championships (WCH) qualification.

Part 2 - a preview of tomorrow's early morning meets with a focus on athletes in the mix for WCH qualification

Weekend Update #2 (part 2)

  Moore Guldensporenmeeting

A Cat C meet means there is some good place points for those who can finish top 8.  Currently sitting in a qualifying quota place, but wanting to "protect" their spot: Torrie Lewis goes in both 100m & 200m, and Ellie Beer in 400m. 
Sitting outside qualifying spots: Michelle Jenneke - has a couple of low scores so low 13 sec or sub-13 sec peformances could see her close to qualifying. Mitchell Lightfoot - needs a couple of races near his PB (13.53) to push back into contention.
Other points of interest:  Carla Bull, Laura McShane and Bec Bennett are the 8-10th fastest Australian 400m runners in 2025 with SBs only 0.25 apart. Could this event by something of a trail with Australian 400m relay spots up for grabs?  Seth O'Donnell launching his European campaign with a 1500m - has a 5000m race lined up in a weeks time where he'll be hoping to push up into a qualify spot (currently 52/42). Alex Stitt also running the 1500m - haven't seen his 3:35 USA form since he's been in Europe and a big jump to the sub-3:33 standard but with the right race?

  BMC Watford  

Not the main circuit (Cat D) but this is a crucial race for Catriona Bisset who hasn't yet managed to convert her training form into a fast race (according to her insightful blog). The Australian womens 800m is so competitive and with two already selected, its likely going to come down to who can get the standard (sub 1:59).  Given Bisset has run this a dozen times, if things click there's a strong possibility.   
Rebekah Newton has enjoyed remarkable improvements this year (nearly four seconds off her 800m PB) - is sub two minutes out of the question?  Also improving is fellow Western Australian Max Shervington who is tuning up for World University Games with PB form - can he duck under 3:38 in this 1500m?

Weekend Update #2 (part 1)

  Monaco Diamond League

It was extraordinary that a year ago we could write about an Australian track athlete attempting to break a world record ... and even more extraordinary Jessica Hull achieved the milestone with such composure, taking 1.86 seconds off the 2000m WR (5:19.70).  A year later, and a week after finishing third in a world record 1500 race, Hull goes again - this time over 1000m.

Historically the 1000m WR has been the territory of those focusing on the 800m, or at least the true 800/1500 middle distance runner.  So for Hull, who's been more a 15/3k/5k athlete, you'd think 2:28.98 is a bit quick.  But Grand Slam Track bought back the middle distance double and athletes like Hull seriously tested their speed, taking her PB to 1:58.58.

Given Hull's comfortable going through 800m in 2:03 for a 1500m (which was her 800m PB until last year) you could see a two minute flat first 800m is not out of the question.  Then who holds on best - the 800m specialist or the 2000m World Record holder and fifth fastest 1500m runner ever?

Another Australian in the race will be backing her speed - Sarah Billings won a National 400m title (U18) before an 800m title (U20), but has now developed the 1500m strength to the point where she finished a close second to Hull in the National Championships. Billings has been in career best form this year - PB'ing in the 8,15 and 1k in the last 3 months - watch for her come that last 100m.

It goes without saying the Australian 1000m record is under threat (2:32.94), but with two other Australian record holders competing its not out of the question that we could see three National records set at Monaco. 

For a couple of years, Peter Bol had a 'record' of having run the most times under 1:46, without breaking 1:44. That all changed in April this year, where he sent an Australian record (1:43.79), and which he's approach twice more, almost casually.  There'll be no finger waving in Monaco, as the fastest 800m field ever assembled will test his true outer limits.

With such an international sport, there would be much debate about athletics' true "world stage", but a good case could be made for Monaco, home of World Athletics and everything that glitters.  Onto this stage steps Gout Gout a young man who's had the world media descend upon him but who takes it all in his stride ... and what a stride!  The U23 200m field is no pushover, with others almost as close as Gout to breaking the 20 second barrier.  What a night if he can do it.  

Another pushing barriers is Kurtis Marschall who thinks for some reason falling from six metres after launching himself skywards with nothing but a fibreglass pole is something to strive for.  But its something we'll all be cheering for if he gets to attempt it again (while quietly thankful its not us having to twist and flip and let gravity take its course).     

  Morton Games

While thats all happening you can also watch the fun in Dublin.  There's young Australians tuning up before the FISU World University Games: Joseph Ayoade in the 100m, Terrell Thorne in the 400m and Klara Dess over 1500m. Danielle Shaw (100m Hurdles) and Emily Whelan (High Jump) will still be looking at the "Road to Paris" list and seeing how they can boost their qualifying points.  The Morton Mile can be something of an Australia vs Ireland clash. with Ireland has won 2 out of the last 3 races, with Australia's last winner being Jeff Riseley back in 2015.  Stewart McSweyn, Matthew Ramsden and Jackson Sharp, fresh off his 3000m PB, are carrying the flag this year - can one of them take the win?  

Weekend Update #1 (4th July)

Plenty happening across six countries in two large viewing blocks, interspersed with some evening viewing … how good!

Some high intensity action from Stanislas Nancy in France to wake you Saturday morning with Chris Mitrevski and Rohan Browning.  Mitrevski showed he’s recovered from injuries with two jumps just under eight metres in Japan in May. He needs two more competitions to appear on the “Road to Tokyo” list, and with a couple more jumps around eight metres he could be within a qualifying quota place. Browning has showed he’s not lost the form from Nationals and you don’t want to be the person who misses that sub-10 when it comes.

Georgia Griffith, Jude Thomas and Jack Anstey are running the 1500m at the same meet and around this time you might want to also open another window for the Gold Coast half marathon with some of Australia’s best distance runners competing.

Tomorrow evening catch the beginning of the women’s heptathlon from Décastar, France with Tori West & Camryn Newton-Smith needing near-best performances to ensure they gain the qualifying quota places for Tokyo.

Early morning hours of Sunday, the very keen can see Alexandra Harrison in the high jump, Rebecca Bennett in a 400m from Belgium and Georgia Harris in her 100m heat from Spain.  Or a bit later Sam Dale jumps at that Ordizia Meet in Spain.  Both she and Delta Amidzovski, who jumped 6.41m earlier this week, are just outside qualify spots and both need a couple of competitions where they push over 6.50m.

At the same time, action kicks off in Lyon France, with Tess Kirsopp-Cole, Peter Bol & Mason Cohen racing over 800m, and Allegra McGivern in the steeplechase.  800m seems to be a theme at this time, with Ellie Sanford, Rebekah Newton & Jack Lunn going over this distance in Ordizia.  The magical two-minute barrier is something all three women have gone close to and going sub-2 could well help their claims for the 3rd spot on the Tokyo team.

Then we switch to 1500m viewing: Klara Dess & Luke Cunningham in Lyon, Alex Stitt in Ordizia along with Adam Spencer running the International Mile in Eugene, which unfortunately will be just before the Diamond League broadcast starts.

Once it does start (Sunday 6am) this Diamond League has something special in store for Australian fans.  Lachlan Kennedy has another big moment racing the 100m against the fastest men in the world this year.  Then stay tuned as Australians will be involved in two world record attempts.  Last year Jessica Hull ran the fifth fastest 1500m time in history chasing Faith Kipyegon when she last broke the world record.  Kipyegon goes again Sunday morning in a stacked field with eight of the world’s top ten in the field, and Hull again a lead contender.

The men’s Bowerman Mile is similarly stacked – probably the fastest field ever assembled.  Yared Nuguse has asked the pacers to go through 800m in 1:50 with the aim of breaking Hicham El Geurrouj’s 3:43.13 set 25 years & 363 days ago.  It’s a massive showdown for Oliver Hoare & Cameron Myers who share the current Australian mile record at 3:47.48 – whoever finishes ahead will likely be the new record holder.

No doubt plenty of inspiration from all that to head off for your Sunday long run.  Then in the evening tune back in for the heptathlon at 6.25pm to see how Tori and Camryn complete the last three events.  And Monday morning check in on Kurtis Marschall – he’s vaulting in Fly Athens a dedicated pole vaulting meet hosted by world #2, Emmanuel Karalis.

Free livestreams for all these meets.

Enjoy!

The July overview (full calendar for July here)

We start with an overview of what’s coming up and who’s competing where, as far as we know. Then, as start lists firm up for each upcoming weekend we’ll add more detail including a brief overview of key results and what’s happening in the quest for qualification.

The link will stay the same, but the content will be changing … let us know what you think of this format!

Championship action doesn’t wait until September with over 60 athletes representing Australia in Germany – our largest team ever at the FISU World University Games.  A great opportunity for younger athletes to get international competition exposure, and we'll see a number of them drawing on that experience in Tokyo later in the year.

With three Diamond Leagues this month - Eugene/Prefontaine Classic in the USA, Monaco and London - some of Australia’s best athletes will be testing their form against the world’s best.

Lachlan Kennedy has one of the biggest races of his life, lining up for the 100m at Eugene against the fastest men in the world this year, including the #6 all-time Kishane Thompson. Oliver Hoare and Cameron Myers go in the prestigious Bowerman Mile against the current Olympic Champion and two World Champions over 1500m.  Adam Spencer races the Invitational Mile, and likely has his eye on the 3:50 WCH qualifier, given he’s now 4th Australian on the qualifying list.

Jessica Hull will race in Eugene in the strongest women’s 1500m field this year, with 8 of the top 10 world ranked athletes competing including Faith Kipyegon.  As will as planning to run the mile at London, Hull will also race a 1000m at Monaco along with Sarah Billings. Gout Gout is aiming for an U23 200m event at Monaco, and Kurtis Marschall will be vaulting there, as well as a pole vault event in Greece this weekend.  With Peter Bol racing the 800m at Monaco against seven of the 2024 Olympic finalists, that makes three current Australian record holders at the meet - could we see a hattrick of Australian records? 

There's quite a few meets in France this month in the lead up to Monaco Diamond League. The Décastar - a multievent meet - is crucial for Tori West's WCH qualification. West requires a PB to boost her points and move back into a qualifying quota place. Camryn Newton-Smith, recovered from her injury that kept her out of Nationals, will join West and although a couple of quota places higher, will also be looking for a big performance.

We're waiting on start lists for other French meets but can see there's Aussies expected to compete in Lyon including Luke Cunningham & Klara Dess (1500m), Allegra McGivern (3000m SC). Peter Bol and Tess Kirsopp-Cole go over the 800m.

Kirsopp-Cole is in a 4-way battle for the last 800 WCH spot and is down to race four times in July.  Also in the mix is Ellie Sanford who looks to be focusing on a couple of 800m races in Spain (Ordizia and Barcelona).

Chasing good quota points to remain in a qualifying place is Emily Whelan who has a couple of Irish high jump events lined up, Cork City Sports & Morton Games - and likely to be joined by other Aussies particularly those based in Britain.

Aussie sprinters are using Belgium meets to sharpen their form:  Moore-Guldensporenmeeting where Ellie Beer and others will be joined by middle distance runners and Mitchell Lightfoot over the hurdles, Laura McShane & Carla Bull back-up in Liège, joined by Izzi Batt-Doyle testing her speed over 5000m, and then the Night of Athletics sees McShane & Kirsopp-Cole again along with Seth O'Donnell and Jason Clayton over 5000m.

O'Donnell, who had the crowd roaring during his dramatic 5000m win at Nationals, is another chasing points and he's down to start his European campain at Boysen Memorial in Norway.  Meanwhile Stephanie Ratcliffe is travelling north to Canada to grab some points with appearances in Edmonton and a few days later at the Harry Jerome Classic 

While we're likely to see them in a Diamond League event in July, Rose Davies and Sarah Billings, training & podcast partners, are going head-to-head over 1500m in Bresia, Italy with bragging rights on the line.

An action-packed July already based on what we know - check in for further updates as more news emerges.

Enjoy! 

The Tokyo World Championships are still a while away (September) but things are getting serious for Australian athletes still seeking qualification or those needing competition to sharpen up after the rest period after the Australian domestic season.

While it may be an exaggeration to say coffee shops in Europe and North America are getting prepared for a rush, there’s a strong contingent of Aussies heading overseas and settling into their Northern Hemisphere base camps.

So what viewing do those of us stuck in the colder climes have to look forward to this month?

Diamond Leagues

The Diamond League returns to Europe. Australians have increasingly sought, and been accepted into, Diamond League meets, and a strong presence is predicted for this European season.

We have some tentative indications of who is planning to participate and when (with the caveat these plans can change).

6 June Rome: The published starting list has four Aussies competing but there’s sometimes some late additions: Oliver Hoare (1500m), Sarah Billings (1500m), Abbey Caldwell (1500m), Liam Adcock (Long Jump).

12 June Oslo (Bislett Games): Cameron Myers is set to line up for the Dream Mile, a race steeped in history and prestige.  There’s chat that Stewart McSweyn, who won the Dream Mile in 2021, may be lining up for the 5000m. Kurtis Marschall down to compete in the pole vault.

15 June Stockholm: One of the more popular Diamond Leagues for Australians, currently has Linden Hall (3000m), Kurtis Marschall (Pole Vault) and Nicola Olyslagers (High Jump) as potential starters.

20 June Paris:  Nicola is also planning to jump at this event, and no doubt will be joined by others.

NCAA Div I Nationals: 11-14 June

The NCAA athletics system is tough and unrelenting.  It is an understatement to say making the Nationals is an achievement in itself – but from pressure, diamonds emerge. 

Australia has fourteen athletes competing over the four days.  This includes current Olympians (Adam Spencer, Stephanie Ratcliffe, Alexandra Stoilova), and others staking strong claims to wear green & gold at the World Championships (Lianna Davidson, Lara Roberts, Alexander Kolesnikoff, Ben Conacher). 

What’s exciting is to start hearing of the new names emerging … are these the future diamonds?

Continental Tour GOLD

For those chasing performance scores that boost their quota place for Tokyo (refer World Championships qualification explainer) these meets are critical. They come with a Category ‘A’ ranking which means big points on offer for where you place (ie more than a country’s Nationals).

Four Gold meets in June (unfortunately New York has been cancelled), with current indications of Australian participation in these two:

9 June FBK Games: A popular meet that is very competitive to just get on the starting list.  Thankfully Australia has plenty of stars that have been accepted: Matthew Denny (Discus Throw), Torrie Lewis (200m), Cooper Sherman (400m), Peyton Craig (800m), Claudia Hollingsworth (800m), Catriona Bisset (800m), Celeste Mucci (100m Hurdles), Michelle Jenneke (100m Hurdles), Nicola Olyslagers (High Jump), Liam Adcock (Long Jump)

24 June 64th Ostrava Golden Spike: When athletics meets have a number as their prefix that is older than many grandparents then you know it’s an institution on the calendar.  Many Australians will not have heard of this meet – but that will change in June given the calibre of the expected starters at this stage: Gout Gout (200m), Peter Bol (800m), Cameron Myers (1500m), Jye Edwards (1500m). It's been suggested recently that another star Australian sprinter may be taking his marks at the start line - an Aussie showdown in Czechia?  Kurtis Marschall also planning to jump in his 4th Pole Vault comp for the month.

Taiwan Athletics Open: 7-8 June

An Australia under-23 team of 28 athletes is already setting up in Taipei for this event. A number competed at the World U20 Championships, including Ethan Ayodele, Olivia Rose Inkster, Jasmin & Isabelle Guthrie, but for others, such as Aiden Princena-White, this is a great opportunity to further their international experience.

Random meets and short-notice starters

Of course most athletes can’t book their events calendar weeks in advance. There’ll be athletes popping up at all sorts of random meets, particularly as they start chasing World Championships qualification points.

It’s so confusing! Where are my favourite athletes competing, what time are they running, and how can I watch them?

Luckily we are working hard to answer these questions for you. All you need to do is go to trackathletes.au and ‘star’ the athletes you want to follow – easy! Then you’ll receive an email highlighting when they are competing, with the links to the livestream and results. You can also add specific meets to your Watchlist.