Rose blooms, Little throws big as Aussies prime for world champs finals frenzy

The penultimate day of the World Athletics Championships promises to be one of Australia’s busiest yet, with 11 athletes lining up for finals on the track and field and roads.

Led by history-makers Rose Davies, a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder, and Linden Hall, NSWIS javelin medallist Mackenzie Little and some of the country’s finest race walkers competing for medals, four relay teams and discus giant Matthew Denny will be chasing coveted finals places on Sunday.

Global medallist and Royal North Shore Hospital registrar Mackenzie Little made light work of last night’s qualification, with a one-and-done throw of 65.54 metres for her best result of the year. It was the third-best throw of her impressive career and automatically landed a spot in tonight’s final.

The bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, finished qualifying ranked second behind Adriana Vilagos (SRB, 66.06m), but had only notched one 60m+ throw throughout the season. Little admits that balancing two high-performing careers had been taxing.

Working in the Emergency Department last week dealing with cardiac arrests to now, with a one-track mind, Dr Little is ready to build on her throw in a full series of six.

“This season’s been up and down. It’s been about dragging myself to training after a long days’ work, and I don’t want to say that I want this to be worth it, but I wanted to enjoy this and I wanted to be really thankful,” Little said. “After my throw tonight, I turned around and looked at coach (Angus McEntyre) and I was like, ‘thank you’.

“We’ve had to really work hard and it’s just coming together. I’ve spent lots of time on the plane this year, back and forth. I’ve gotten to all the Diamond League that’ll have me, because that’s what athletics is all about – travelling around the world and competing with friends from these different countries.

” It’s what keeps me in the sport and that’s what’s motivating for me.”

No stranger to the competition at major championship finals, the world number five this season will face 11 athletes with 60m+ throws to their name after the qualification round, including hometown hero and defending world champion Haruka Kitaguchi and world leader at 67.76m, Victoria Hudson (AUT).

Middle-distance history beckons in the Women’s 5000m final, with Rose Davies (NSWIS/pictured) and Linden Hall (VIC) becoming the first Australian duo ever to contest the final at a World Athletics Championships.

Davies arrives as the national record holder (14:31.45). At the same time, Hall lines up in her happy hunting ground in Tokyo – the same stadium in which she last made a global final in 2021 at the Olympic Games. Together, they face a world-class field headed by world record holder Beatrice Chebet (KEN, 13:59:06), Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon (KEN) and former world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay.

On the infield, Camryn Newton-Smith (QLD) and Tori West (QLD) continue their campaign in the heptathlon. With four events completed overnight in just one session, the Australian duo will enjoy the space on Day Two of competition with the long jump late in the morning session, followed by the javelin and 800m in the evening session.

The Australians, who both competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, have a competition within the competition. Newton-Smith is in 18th on 3,566 points, and West is just seven points behind in 19th. Both athletes will be looking to pull back a few places in a field that includes some of the superstars of the event’s history.

The resurgence of sprints across the country means Australia is in contention to cement places in tomorrow’s finals in the Women’s and Men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays – to add another chapter to an already memorable sprint campaign. In the Men’s 4x100m, the team of Connor Bond (NSW), Joshua Azzopardi (NSWIS/pictured), Calab Law (QLD) and national 100m champion Rohan Browning (NSWIS) race for Australia in Heat 2 against a stacked field that includes world leaders South Africa (37.61), Great Britain (37.36), Japan (37.43) and Italy (37.50).

Australia’s fastest man Lachlan Kennedy is out of action due to injury, yet the team knows they are capable of pushing towards the Australian record of 37.87 in an attempt to secure a top-three placing for the finals.

The seasoned Women’s 4x100m team come together with much experience as a quartet and a national record of 42.84 to match. Ella Connolly (NSWIS) will lead off and hand the baton to Bree Rizzo (QLD), and then to Kristie Edwards (NSWIS) and Torrie Lewis (QLD) who is in career best form, will anchor the team.

Lewis lowered her own Australian 100m record to 11.08 seconds this week. Despite being heavyweights of Australian relay racing, the team will be challenged in Heat 1 by Jamaica, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy.

With the 4x400m teams less established as squads, the teams will feature fresh faces. In the Women’s 4x400m, Commonwealth relay medallist Mia Gross (VIC), global medallist Ellie Beer (QLD), Jemma Pollard (NSWIS) and Carla Bull (QLD) will contest a tough draw in Heat 1 against Jamaica (3:30.42 SB), Great Britain (3:24.46) and German (3:26.87) making it a challenge for the team with their season’s best of 3:27.31.

The Men’s 4x400m team, consisting of Cooper Sherman (VIC), Thomas Reynolds (VIC), Reece Holder (QLD) and Aidan Murphy (SA, Nik Hagicostas) will be pushed to better their season’s best of 2:59.73, when racing in Heat 2.

Australians can tune in to the 2025 World Athletics Championships on both the Nine Network and SBS, with the morning session beginning at 8.30am AEDT.

Australian Athletics