Tokyo lays exciting foundation for Los Angeles Olympics

Australia’s campaign at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo delivered some unforgettable performances and provided the perfect foundation for the Olympic cycle ahead, with the 86-strong team gaining valuable experience against the world’s best.

The team finished with four medals, nine top-8 finishes, and 28 top-16 performances to finish 13th on the placing table, along with two national records. But the numbers tell only part of the story.

For Australia’s established stars, medals came courtesy of the newly crowned world champion and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Nicola Olyslagers (high jump) and three bronze medallists in Mackenzie Little (NSWIS/javelin), Jessica Hull (NSWIS/1500m) and Kurtis Marschall (pole vault), while finals and top-8 appearances from Hull (800m), Ky Robinson (5000m), Men’s 4x100m Relay and Matt Denny (discus) underscored the strength at the top end.

The story of Tokyo was not only about medals for Australian athletics but about milestones. Three athletes from last year’s World Under 20 Championships team in Gout Gout (200m), Torrie Lewis (100m and 200m) and Claudia Hollingsworth (1500m) stormed into semi-finals, underlying the fearless energy of the next generation while drawing fresh attention to the sport back home. Their emergence alongside other young debutants shows that Australia’s pipeline of talent is strong and the future of the sport is in good hands. 

From heats and qualification rounds to finals, the Australian team demonstrated resilience, talent and potential, blending hard lessons with proud moments that will serve as vital steppingstones on the road to Los Angeles 2028. Making history as the largest ever team, athletes also gained experience that can only be acquired at global meets such as this.  

“This is the first year of the Olympic cycle and that always means learning, developing and laying foundations,” said Australian Athletics General Manager – High Performance, Andrew Faichney.

“We’re proud of the podium finishes from our newest world champion Nicola Olyslagers, our bronze medallists Jessica Hull, Kurtis Marschall and Mackenzie Little, and equally proud of the breakthrough performances from some of our World Under 20 medallists from 2024, such as Claudia Hollingsworth, Torrie Lewis and Gout Gout who pushed through to semi-finals. 

“The experience our debutants and younger athletes have gained in Tokyo has been invaluable, and combine that with the resilience and quality shown by our senior athletes along with some of talent at home who were unable to compete this week due to injury such as Nina Kennedy and Jemima Montag, and we’ve got the right building blocks in place for Los Angeles 2028 and of course, ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year.”

While the medal tally may not have matched the highs of Paris, Tokyo marked an important step in the journey, ensuring Australia remains firmly on track for the opportunities that lie ahead.

Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics