Australia Aims for Glory at the Indoor World Championships in China

Australia will be represented by both quality and quantity at this weekend’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China with its largest ever team of 20 athletes – six of which boast top-five rankings spearheaded by world-leading sprinter Lachlan Kennedy and high jump defending champion and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Nicola Olyslagers.

Featuring Olympic medallists, world champions and a number of Australian record holders, the record-breaking team is aiming to surpass its best-ever medal haul of four from the 1993 World Athletics Indoor Championships when taking on the world’s best from March 21-23.

Held every two years, the World Athletics Indoor Championships are the pinnacle of short track competition. With a 200m banked track, tighter turns and unique tactical challenges, short track competition requires adaptability and precision.

The Women’s High Jump will be one of the most competitive events of the championships, with reigning champion Nicola Olyslagers, and fellow NSWIS athlete Eleanor Patterson once again set to clash with their rivals, including Olympic champion and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) at 2.10m.

Serbia’s Angelina Topic and the USA’s Vashti Cunningham are also in the fight for the podium, but Patterson is embracing the challenge as she looks win her fourth consecutive medal at a major championships fresh off a 1.99m clearance.

“My goal for World Indoors is to continue the momentum from my last competition,” Patterson said. “I jumped 1.99m, and I know I am ready for more and to raise the bar higher.”

“I’m jumping with a brand new run-up that is quite different. It is no easy process changing the way you move, and it is a constantly evolving progress.”

“I am adding to my weaponry as an athlete, and all in all, it’s a run-up that suits me. I’m ready to have fun out there in the green and gold,” she added.

Olympic 1500m silver medallist and NSWIS athlete Jessica Hull firmly established herself amongst the best middle-distance runners in the world in 2024, and will target her third global medal when taking on the 3000m alongside compatriot Linden Hall (VIC). A strong indoor performer, Hull is determined to turn last year’s near-miss at the World Athletics Indoor Championships into a podium finish once more.

“Last year, I felt really ready to medal indoors and I just missed it, so I’m absolutely aiming for a medal in China,” Hull said.

“The important thing for me has been to learn how to win races and set myself up for gold.”

“If you miss the win, you still want to be among the medallists. Every last rep in training, every final 200m, I remind myself – this one is for gold.”

Hull and Hall’s main competition will come in the form of Ethiopian duo Freweyni Hailu (8:19.98) and Birke Haylom (8:25.37), with Hull seeded third on paper with an 8:24.39 best, bringing her well into medal contention, but will also be challenged by USA’s Whittni Morgan who has closed in this year at 8:28.03.

Two more Australian field athletes will look to soar to the podium, with pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall (WA) looking to reclaim his place after scoring World Championships bronze in 2023, and Liam Adcock (NSW) searching for his first. 

 A season marred with injury in 2024 set Marschall back ahead of the Olympic Games, but the Western Australian is now knocking on the door of the elusive 6.00m barrier – a height that only three Australians and 30 athletes globally have ever cleared. With much of the field sitting pretty with a season’s best of 5.91m, the podium remains within reach if he can find his best form.

Long jumper Adcock stamped his presence as a contender at the Perth Track Classic to deliver three consecutive personal best jumps with a final landing of 8.33m, ultimately securing his place at the Championships. Ranked third on season’s best, Adcock is poised to make a statement in Nanjing.

Australia’s two premier sprinters of the season Lachlan Kennedy (QLD) and Torrie Lewis (QLD) enter the 60m as contenders for the final and beyond, with NSWIS athletes Joshua Azzopardi and Ella Connolly also joining for the sprinting action.  

A 6.43-second personal best from February places Kennedy as the top-seeded athlete in the field featuring a slew of experienced indoor performers, but the 10th fastest man in global history will be out to back up his scorching start to the season. Lewis on the other hand has had ample indoor experience this year, racing to a national record of 7.14-seconds in Belgrade in January. 

Continuing the middle-distance frenzy will be a quintet of Australians, with Abbey Caldwell (VIC) and Sarah Billings (VIC) taking on the 800m, while Australian 3000m Champion Georgia Griffith (VIC) steps back down to the 1500m where she will meet Ethiopian powerhouses Gudaf Tsegay and Diribe Welteji.

US-based training partners Olli Hoare (NSW, Dathan Ritzenhein) and Ky Robinson (QLD) travel to China as the in-form Australian short track record holders over 1500m and 3000m. Up amongst the top-end of the field, Hoare returns to the green and gold in strong form after a 3:50.77 mile in Boston, while Robinson joins with a best of 7:30.38 in the field of 16.

Cooper Sherman (VIC) makes his Australian senior team debut in the 400m and a relay team of two-lap short track runners including Ellie Beer (QLD), Jemma Pollard (NSW), Connolly, Lewis and Bella Pasquali (VIC) will come together as a medal chance in the 4x400m relay, with five countries in the field.

Paris Olympian Camryn Newton-Smith (QLD) competes in the invite-only pentathlon on Friday and Saturday, stringing together five events for the first time this season.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025 begin this Friday, 21 March and will be broadcast on SBS On Demand, and with highlights on SBS Viceland. 

Story: Australian Athletics

Feature Image: Getty Images