Carli sparkles in Oslo, Rose Davies blooms setting 10,000m record

Two-time Olympian Sarah Carli marked her star-studded Diamond League debut at Oslo’s 15,000 seat Bislett Stadium with a fifth-place finish in the 400m women’s event after clocking 55.13.

Carli, a New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship athlete started the race ranked third on season’s best with a time of 54.29. That mark placed her behind America’s two-time Olympic gold medallist, Deliliah Muhammed (53.81) and Italy’s Ayomide Folorunso (54.21).

Her invitation to compete in the prestigious meet followed Carli’s dominant Australian summer of which the highlight was her seizing the national crown in a personal best time of 54.29. She maintained her momentum by finishing fifth and seventh in the 400m hurdles double at the recent big-money Grand Slam Track meet in Miami.

The league, masterminded by American sprinting legend Michael Johnson, features matchups between the fastest stars in the sport – and Carli didn’t disappoint.

She finished with an overall raking of sixth behind first placed Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, America’s world record holder and a two-time Olympic champion; Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight; American Anna Hall, Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon, and American Shamier Little.

Carli, who recently added the ‘Queen of the Hill’ title to her collection when she won the annual Balmoral Burn – a torturous 420m uphill run – in 1:36, is preparing to compete in the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League on 15 June.

Fellow NSWIS scholarship holder, Mackenzie Little, finished the women’s javelin event at Oslo in fifth place after a season’s best throw of 59.86m. Japan’s Olympic gold medallist Haruka Kitaguchi finished first after throwing 64.63m.

Meanwhile, NSWIS athlete Rose Davies rewrote the record books after slicing 1.55 seconds of Australia’s national women’s 10,000m mark at the Bislett Games – the pre-Diamond League meet – in Oslo.

The 25-year-old from Newcastle finished fourth in a time of 30:34.11, her effort not only ensured she bettered the record Victoria’s Lauren Ryan set 15 months ago, but it was well under the Athletics Australia’s World Championships standard of 31:25.00 to qualify for Tokyo 2025.

Ethiopia’s Yenawa Nbret won the race in 30:28.82. However, Davies could celebrate that she now holds Australia’s 5000m record and it’s 10,000m record. In a post-race interview she credited Ryan for proving anything was possible.

“Lauren set the bar when she ran 30.35 last year,” said Davies. “I thought: ‘if Lauren can do it, why can’t we?’