On reflection, some incredible Australian relay success this year 🔸 GOLD World XC Championships 🔸 BRONZE World Relays 4x4 Men, 6th fastest time ever 🔸 GOLD Comm. Games, 4x1 men 🔸 World Road 5km team, beating Kenya for SILVER Which one was your favourite?

Izzi Batt-Doyle’s fantastic new Area Record of 2:20:38 at the Chicago Marathon moves the Australian record up to 18th on the list of country records. Which one of these countries has a faster women’s marathon record?

The review of 2026 continues .. (this was a big one!) April 2026 There was some star-power to kick off April with Sha’carri Richardson and Christian Coleman lighting up the Stawell Gift, but this month was all about the Nationals for Australian athletes. Selections were at stake, for Commonwealth Games as well as World U20 Championships. It’s hard to know where to start with the 2026 Championships – so why not at the end. The last individual event of the program, the men’s 200m, and Gout Gout delivers an extraordinary finale, running a World U20 and Area Record in winning in 19.67 (+1.7). Not only that, Aidan Murphy runs 19.88, and the top seven all run PBs. At the completion of the meet, eleven athletes were selected for the Commonwealth Games, this being the initial phase of selection based on winning a National title and having the standard. The eleven and their performances: 🔹Isaac Beacroft and Elizabeth McMillen gained selection after winning the 10000m RW titles back in January, along with the qualifying time. 🔹Peter Bol & Nina Kennedy selected after both winning their 5th National titles. Bol’s 800m win in 1:45.60 meant he’s just one title behind the Olympic Champion Ralph Doubell’s six. Kennedy, off her short run-up vaulted 4.65m, and now has the most National Pole Vault titles of Australian women. 🔹Another approaching all-time title status is Nicola Olyslagers, whose 7th High Jump title (1.99m) puts her one behind Alison Inverarity and Chris Stanton. At the other end of titles won, two young sprinters who took their first senior titles. 🔹Fireworks were going off as the men’s 100m field were on their blocks, and Lachlan Kennedy exploded to produce a home soil record with 9.96 (+0.5), equalling what he did in the heat, and only the second Australian ever sub-10. 🔹Reece Holder manages to hold on to win the 400m (45.11) ahead of a cauldron of talent that was about to bubble over in Botswana. The two 1500m National Champions were selected for the Comm. Games mile event, but each got there in very different circumstances. 🔹Cameron Myers wins his 2nd title at 19 years old, running the first sub-3:30 in Australia, the first person in the World to do this before May and commentators afterwards suggested it was only the second time ever an athlete had run sub-3:30 gun-to-tape (Timothy Cheruiyot’s World Championship in 2019 the other). 🔹In comparison, the women’s final was a slow kickers race and Jessica Hull took the lead entering the straight. Claudia Hollingsworth went for a gap on the inside, but Hull closes this off, and in adjusting to go around, Hollingsworth accidently trips Hull who goes down. After protests and appeals, it’s not until the next day that Hollingsworth is declared the winner. 🔹On the final day, the women’s 800m was run with more intent with Hollingsworth, on her 21st birthday, prepared to push the pace, and Abbey Caldwell using her kick in the last 50m to defend her title (1:58.57). 🔹Liam Adcock continued his good early season form, winning his 3rd long jump title with a great series of eight metre plus jumps, best of 8.26m (+0.1) over Chris Mitrevaski with 8.12m (+0.3). To explain a few names missing from this selection list: 🔸Kurtis Marschall not selected as he failed to clear a mark in the final – perhaps his only blemish on what was to become a remarkable year. 🔸Jessica Hull does take the 5000m title (15:13.21), her 10th National title, ahead of Linden Hall with Rose Davies, who had an interrupted preparation, in fourth. However Hull is not selected because she hadn’t run a domestic Summer Series event – one of the other criteria for early selection. 🔸Strange to say an athlete winning her 7th National title was something of a surprise, but Brooke Buschkuehl’s comeback after her first child was still building and she was up against the World U20 champion in Delta Amidzovski who leapt 6.84 (+1.3) in qualifying. In a fascinating battle, Buschkuehl pulled out the winning jump of 6.67m (+1.1) on her final attempt. Other multiple national title winners from the Championships: Michelle Jenneke 100m hurdles (5th title), Mackenzie Little Javelin (5), Sarah Carli 400m hurdles (5), Ellie Beer 400m (4), Desleigh Owusu Triple jump (4). No Matthew Denny in that list above, because he was making his pilgrimage to “Throw Town”. In the second of the three events in Ramona OK, Denny wins in 74.04m, and joins world record holder Mykolas Alekna as the only men in history to complete three competitions over 74 metres. In that event it was the first time six men threw over 70 metres. The next week saw the Australian U20 Championships in Brisbane. This was particularly exciting because so many U20 athletes had reached the qualifying standards in some events, so the finals became American-style first two past the post got their ticket to Eugene and the World U20 Championship. Izobel Louison-Roe was a stand out with gold in both the high jump and triple jump, the latter equalling the Australian U20 record, 13.36m (+1.0). Gout Gout defended his 100m title with 10.21 (+0.5). Others to set Championship Records included Daniel Williams 800m 1:46.94, Dylan Ruming 400m 47.17 (U18), Zara Hagan 100m 11.41 (+2.6), Emma Fryga 800m 2:02.37, Maya Taber 200m 23.14 (+2.3) (U18). To wrap up the month in style, Eddie Nketia (recently confirmed to run for Australia) runs a windy 9.84 (+2.8) 100m in the USA, and Jaylah Hancock-Cameron runs a new Australian Road Mile record of 4:26.4 in Ballarat, taking six seconds off Jessica Hull’s record. Hard to boil down to just four choices – but who’s your pick? Gout Gout WU20R 200m Lachie Kennedy 100m 9.96 HSR Cameron Myers 1500 3:29.85 HSR Jaylah Hancock-Cameron 4:26.4 AR

The review of 2026 continues ... March 2026 The busiest month on the domestic calendar makes it hard to filter down to a few highlights. There’s a certain mystique surrounding Australia’s high-profile athletes when turning out for local meets on suburban tracks. The Hagenauer Reserve in Box Hill has gained a reputation for hosting some magical moments, and Claudia Hollingsworth added one more with a stunning 1500m home soil record of 3:58.09 and a world lead, running solo after the 800m mark. Her combined 800m-1500m bests puts Hollingsworth in a league for her age along with names such as Hailu, Welteji and Chepchirchir. The Adelaide Invitational sees another teenage sensation emerge, 18-year-old Daniel Williams takes out the 800m in 1:44.37 - only 12 teenagers in history have run faster, when younger. Ky Robinson becomes the first Australian under 27 minutes for the 10000m, breaking the Area Record with 26:57.07 for 2nd at The Ten, Sound Running event. Six Australians make the NCAA National Indoor finals and NCAA athlete with Northwestern University, Skye Ellis, grabs a silver in the FISU (Universities) World Cross Country championships held in Italy. While some say the World Indoor Championships don’t necessarily attract the world’s best, that’s not the case in Torun, Poland for the men’s pole vault (9 of the top 10), and women’s high jump (8 of the top 10). This puts some extra sheen on the medals won by Kurtis Marschall (bronze) and Nicola Olyslagers (silver). Racing multi-lap events indoors requires additional nous, which gives some advantage to those that have honed their indoor racing skills in the USA. Jessica Hull doubled in the 1500m / 3000m and returned with silver & bronze, including an Area 1500m Indoor Record. Adam Spencer timed his electric kick perfectly to pick up a 1500m bronze. Hayley Kitching, perhaps reacting to her disappointment at falling in the recent NCAA Nationals, deployed some aggressive front running to make the 800m final in her first Global Championships and finish a credible 5th. Peter Bol becomes the first Australian to make the 800m final at every Global Championship, and sets an Area Indoor Record of 1:45.14 in finishing fourth. The 2026 Maurie Plant Meet was another sell-out (10,000 people). Despite the cool conditions, Lachie Kennedy impressed in the 100m with 10.03 (+0.3) and then backed-up for the much-anticipated re-match with Gout Gout, taking the win in the 200m with 20.38 (-0.7) as the rain came down. The men’s 400m was a highlight, with five Australians under 46 seconds, and Luke Van Ratingen storming home in the last 50 metres to be so close to sub-45, finishing the best of the Australians with 45.03. Claudia Hollingsworth showed her 3:58 form could translate into racing form, taking charge of the 1500m with 300m to go and holding off Georgia Hunter Bell, the newly minted World Indoor champion, for the win in 4:01.30. The men’s John Landy 1500m was unfortunately affected by a fall which resulted in three key athletes, including German Robert Farken, going down. Cameron Myers was in control with 600m to go, easing away comfortably with a 53.9 last lap to win in 3:30.42, the fastest time ever run in Australia. Tough one to chose from - who do you think was best performer for this busy month? (Poll in comments) Claudia Hollingsworth - solo home soil record and wins over Georgia Hunter Bell Peter Bol – completes a hat-trick of Global Championship 800m finals and breaks Area Record Jessica Hull – Doubles at WiC, comes home with two medals and new Area Record Ky Robinson - first to go under 27 min in the 10000m

A month-by-month overview of the Oct 25 to Sept 26 year of track & field (and road, and cross country) February 2026 There a numerical milestones in every event, but none bigger, literally, than the six metre pole vault. Having previously attempted it “around 45 times”, Kurtis Marschall finally bags it this month, and not for the only time this year. Another celebrated numerical milestone is the 4-minute mile. After seeing a post, I wondered how many Australians had gone sub-4? Casually checking I realise it was close to 100, so went about preparing a definitive list given there are discrepancies between World Athletics, Australian Athletics and other lists. Having sorted through these, amazingly I had a list of 99 Australian names that had gone sub-4. When putting this fact out the socials, it was only a matter of minutes before someone flagged that an Aussie had gone sub-4 that morning in NCAA indoors. So congrats Ben Thomas – you will forever be Australia’s 100th sub-4 miler. Jessica Hull is a seeker of milestones, and having successfully etched her name as the outdoor 2000m World Record holder, she attempts to match it with the indoor one. Stops the clock at 5:26.86, the second-best time ever, and obviously an Area Record. Trophies are worth grabbing too. There are five annual mile races on the calendar that attract international fields. The Wanamaker mile, as part of the indoor Millrose Games, is steeped most, with history extending back to the first race in 1926. This 100th edition was appropriately littered with talent, not least the three-time defending champion (Yared Nuguse), and Hobbs Kessler who had just broken the World Indoor record for 2000m. But teenager Cameron Myers wasn’t fazed and runs away from the field to win by almost a second (3:47.57), become the second Australian to win the Wanamaker Mile, joining Oliver Hoare, and second youngest to ever lift the sizeable trophy, after Marty Liquori. More action outdoors domestically, with the Australian Short Track Championships seeing Thewbelle Philp continuing the ‘teenagers taking over’ theme, blasting out a 60m sprint in 7.35, taking the win and an Australian U20 Record. Great to see the return of Brooke Buschkuehl to the long jump, and while teenager Delta Amidzovski finished ahead by 7cm this time, these two would put on some spectacular battles over the season. Another teenager burning up the track was Gout Gout, turning out for his first race of the year after two windy 9.99’s in 2025, and almost becomes the second Australian sub-10 (legally), breaking the Australian U20 record 100m with 10.00 (+0.9). Track Classic’s return to Hobart for first time in ten years, saw a spectacular sunset with the mountain backdrop framing some early season indicators of things to come; Lachie Kennedy in the 200m (20.43), Matt Denny in the discus (68.74m). But the head-turner was the young Olympian and World U20 silver medallist over 800m, deciding to step it up to 3000m and takes on the National record holders over these longer distances, Georgia Griffith and Rose Davies. Claudia Hollingsworth comes away with the National title and a meet record 8:37.42. Some road action as well, with the National 10000m record holder, Jack Rayner taking Brett Robinson’s Australian record for the Half Marathon, finishing in 59:53, and en route breaking the best times for 20km (56:52) and 15km (42:34). So from all that, who was your best performer for February? Poll in comments below