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Athletics Stars Head North for Oceania Championships in Darwin

Australian Athletics

Darwin awaits for Australia’s top athletics talents who are set to contest the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships from May 18-23, with Brooke Buschkuehl and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Joshua Azzopardi among the first names announced to don the green and gold on home soil.

The Area Championships will provide a key qualification opportunity for the 2027 World Athletics Championships and fall within the qualification period for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, offering high stakes competition at the Arafura Stadium in the Northern Territory.

Australia’s Open team is the first to be announced today, with the Para athletics and Under 18 lineups to follow next week, as World Championships medallist Mackenzie Little (NSWIS) leads the way for a team of youth and experience.

Just one example of the talent on display is the long jump duo of Brooke Buschkuehl (VIC) and Delta Amidzovski (NSWIS), with Buschkuehl winning her first national title as a mum earlier this month when defeating the World Under 20 champion Amidzovski by two centimetres in the final round.

The Darwin battle will be another chapter in their budding rivalry, but so too a steppingstone to the world stage in 2026 and beyond.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to put on the green and gold and compete in Darwin next month at the Oceania Championships,” Buschkuehl said.

“It’s always a privilege being announced in an Australian team, however this one feels that little more special after taking some time away from the sport throughout my pregnancy.”

Warm conditions will only aid Olympian Joshua Azzopardi (NSW) and Australian champion Georgia Harris (QLD) who lead a capacity sprinting contingent, with a pair of Trans-Tasman rivals awaiting in the form of Tiaan Whelpton (NZL) and Zoe Hobbs (NZL).

“I’m very keen for Darwin, I have never been there or raced there so excited to see what it’s all about,” Azzopardi said.

“I’ve heard the weather is very favourable during May, so that’s just an added bonus.

“It’s great to see the Oceania Championships heading somewhere which hasn’t had a major competition in as long as I can remember.”

Adding to the action in the field will be the strong high jump trio of Brandon Starc (NSWIS), Yual Reath (VIC) and Roman Anastasios (VIC), while Little leads the way for Lianna Davidson (NSWIS) and Mackenzie Mielczarek (VIC) in the javelin throw.

The Area Championships are held every two years and provide crucial global rankings points for Open athletes, along with valuable international competition experience for emerging athletes.

The 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships will be held at Arafura Stadium in Darwin from May 18-23.

NSWIS Scholarship Holders Selected for the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships

WOMEN:

200m – Lakara Stallan

400m Hurdles – Sarah Carli

Long Jump – Delta Amidzovski

Triple Jump – Desleigh Owusu

Javelin Throw – Lianna Davidson, Mackenzie Little

MEN:

100m – Joshua Azzopardi, Rohan Browning

200m – Christopher Ius

400m – Luke van Ratingen