Increasingly the prospects of being a full-time professional athlete rely on content creation as well as prowess on the track.
Cover image by Fred Etter
Let’s take a closer look at the biggest influencers in Australian athletics based on those athletes who were in either the 2025 World Championships teams or 2024 Olympics, based on their current Instagram following (at 31 December 2025, post U16’s being banned from the platform in Australia)
#1 – Michelle Jenneke – 569K followers (down 26K)
#2 – Bree Rizzo – 359K followers (up 80K)
#3 – Gout Gout – 209K followers (new)
#4 – Jessica Hull – 189K followers (up 25K)
#5 – Nina Kennedy – 185K followers (down 12K)
#6 – Liz Clay – 164K followers (down 4K)
#7 – Tayleb Willis – 155K followers (down 14K)
>
#8 – Alanah Yukich – 153K followers (up 46K)
#9 – Genevieve Gregson – 147K followers (down 3K)
#10 – Nicola Olyslagers – 119K followers (up 15K)
| Rank | Athlete | Followers |
| 1 (-) | Michelle Jenneke | 569K (-26K) |
| 2 (-) | Bree Rizzo | 359K (+80K) |
| 3 (new) | Gout Gout | 209K |
| 4 (+2) | Jess Hull | 189K (+25K) |
| 5 (-2) | Nina Kennedy | 185K (-12K) |
| 6 (-1) | Liz Clay | 164K (-4K) |
| 7 (-3) | Tayleb Willis | 155K (-14K) |
| 8 (+2) | Alanah Yukich | 153K (+46K) |
| 9 (-2) | Genevieve Gregson | 147K (-3K) |
| 10 (+1) | Nicola Olyslagers | 119K (+15K) |
Check out last year’s rankings.
