Hungary for medals: Is this the best athletics team to leave Australian shores?
There is no box-office star with the profile of Sally Pearson, Steve Hooker or Jana Pittman but Australia’s team for this month’s athletics world championships is stronger and deeper than the country has ever sent to the event, Australia’s head coach believes.
While the headline act will be Peter Bol, returning from his doping ordeal, Australia’s medal charge will be led by reigning world champions, high jumper Eleanor Patterson and javelin thrower Kelsey-Lee Barber.
Australia’s team for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest will include javelin thrower Kelsey-Lee Barber, pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, runner Peter Bol and high jumper Eleanor Patterson.Credit: Getty
“I think it’s as strong as we have had for a very long period of time, if not ever,” head of high-performance Andrew Faichney said.
“It’s been a long time since we have gone in with two reigning world champions and a number of others who have medalled on the world stage in the last two years.
“It would be the strongest team we have sent overseas. I think Nicola Olyslagers is our one who has burst through, and that is amazing when Eleanor is the reigning world champion and you are looking at Nicola as probably the gold-medal favourite. She has had such a strong year this year.
“There are 10 athletes who are legitimately top five in the world, and out of that you have got to say that most, if not all, of them could win medals. That’s not suggesting that’s how many medals we will get, but that is the level of quality and opportunity we have and the strength of our team going across.
Nicola Olyslagers in the Olympic high jump event, where she won silver.Credit: AP
“In our field events we have some real strength, Nina medalled last time but Kurtis [Marschall] in the pole vault is in such good form; he has a great opportunity to have the same level of success as Nina.
“We are strong across most of the event groups, which is why I think it is fair to say it is the strongest team we have had; the strongest team we have sent overseas. We have five medallists from the most recent Olympics and World Championships in the team.”
On form, the Australian team for the Budapest championships starting on August 19 conservatively has eight serious medal prospects – the two high jumpers Patterson and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Olyslagers, pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, Barber in the javelin, Jessica Hull in the 1500 metres, Marschall in the men’s pole vault, Matt Denny in the discus and Jemima Montag in the 20-kilometre walk.
That’s without accounting for Olympic bronze medallist Ash Moloney in the decathlon or any of the male runners, even without injured Commonwealth Games medallist Ollie Hoare.
Cedric Dubler urges Ash Moloney on during the 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics.Credit: Getty
Last year at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, Australia’s return of two gold medals and a bronze (Patterson, Barber and Kennedy) was the best performance by an Australian team since 2009 when they won two gold and two bronze. Before that Australia’s best result in a worlds was 1999 when they won a gold, a silver and two bronze.
Although Patterson is coming back from foot surgery early this year, Australia are hoping for the quinella in the high jump.
Pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, who last year won the prestigious Diamond League after winning Commonwealth Games Gold in Birmingham and bronze at the COVID-delayed worlds in Oregon, is fourth in the rankings this year and a favourite to be on the dais at the championships.
Hull broke the Australian 1500-metre record as she chased Kenyan Faith Kipyegon on her way to smashing the world record at the Diamond League meet in Florence in June. Only Hull and Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir could go with Kipyegon as she broke the record. Hull, will double up and race the 5000 metres as well.
Barber last year became the first woman to win back-to-back javelin world titles and is now chasing a historic three-peat.
“In one word, it would be extraordinary [to win a third world title]. Each year is such a unique journey to a major championship and this year is no different. It has come with highs and lows, so to go and potentially become a three-time world champion will be something very special,” Barber said.
Patterson last year won gold despite battling the foot injury that forced her into surgery soon after the championships. This year, the 27-year-old said winning with that injury gave her confidence that she could defend her title.
“Firstly, I am just genuinely so happy to be in one piece and back competing again. I have been building well within my few competitions leading into worlds, and I would love to be able to defend my title,” Patterson said.
“Obviously, it hasn’t been an easy journey this year, but I am confident in my abilities and shape coming into Budapest. In saying that, any ability to represent Australia is an honour, but also to represent all the hard work I have put in with my team around me and the journey back to this point.”
Olyslagers is in good form, having recently cleared 2.02 metres, matching her Australian record. She has won nine of the 10 events she has competed at this year.
Sprinter Rohan Browning ran 10.01s to make the semi-final in Tokyo and will be aiming for a similar performance against the fastest men in the world.
Australia’s team will enter a camp in Montpellier, France, ahead of the championships.
Australian team - 2023 World Athletics Championships, Budapest
Men
100m: Rohan Browning, Jake Doran
200m: Aidan Murphy
800m: Peter Bol, Joe Deng, Riley McGown
1500m: Stewart McSweyn, Adam Spencer, Matthew Ramsden
5000m: McSweyn, Morgan McDonald
110m Hurdles: Jacob McCorry, Nicholas Andrews
3000m Steeplechase: Matthew Clarke
High Jump: Joel Baden, Brandon Starc
Pole Vault: Kurtis Marschall
Long Jump: Chris Mitrevski, Darcy Roper, Liam Adcock, Henry Frayne
Triple Jump: Julian Konle, Aiden Hinson
Discus Throw: Matthew Denny
Javelin Throw: Cameron McEntyre
Decathlon: Ash Moloney, Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic
20km Race Walk: Declan Tingay, Kyle Swan, Rhydian Cowley
35km Race Walk: Cowley
Women
100m: Bree Masters, Torrie Lewis
200m: Ella Connolly
800m: Catriona Bisset, Abbey Caldwell, Ellie Sanford
1500m: Jessica Hull, Linden Hall, Abbie Caldwell
5000m: Hull, Rose Davies, Lauren Ryan
Marathon: Lisa Weightman, Isobel Batt-Doyle, Sarah Klein100m
Hurdles: Michelle Jenneke, Celeste Mucci, Hannah Jones
400m Hurdles: Sarah Carli
3000m Steeplechase: Amy Cashin, Cara Feain-Ryan, Brielle Erbacher
4x100m Relay: Masters, Lewis, Connolly, Mucci, Kristie Edwards, Ebony Lane
High Jump: Nicola Olyslagers, Eleanor Patterson, Erin Shaw
Pole Vault: Nina Kennedy
Long Jump: Brooke Buschkuehl, Samantha Dale
Discus Throw: Taryn Gollshewsky
Hammer Throw: Stephanie Ratcliffe
Javelin Throw: Kelsey-Lee Barber, Mackenzie Little, Kathryn Mitchell
20km Race Walk: Jemima Montag, Rebecca Henderson Olivia Sandery
35km Race Walk: Henderson, Allanah Pitcher
Note: Athletics Australia has entered four athletes into the men’s long jump, with the competing athletes yet to be finalised. Pat Tiernan was previously announced on the team in the men’s marathon but has since withdrawn.
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