Cameron Myers produced the highlight performance of the 2026 Maurie Plant Meet with an Australian Allcomers Record over 1500m.
The 19-year-old decimated the field to win by seven seconds in 3:30.42 to improve the mark set by world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj at the IAAF Grand Prix Final at Melbourne’s Olympic Park in 2001.
“The time was good. I didn’t have any expectations, I just wanted to run fast and it was more about executing a good run for me,” Myers said.
“It’s awesome, so electric and it’s such a good environment. I’m so pleased to be out here.”
In a consistent theme of the night, World Indoors participants were below their best following intensive travel from the championships in Poland last weekend. Bronze medallist there, Adam Spencer, was second behind Myers in 3:37.51, dropping most of the seven-second margin on the final lap, which Myers covered in under 54 seconds.
The race lost a number of its top ranked seeds just 120m in, as Germany’s Robert Farken, World Cross Country relay gold medallist Jack Anstey and Commonwealth Games qualifier Jude Thomas collided, falling to the track.
In the women’s race Claudia Hollingsworth edged out the UK’s World Indoor gold medallist Georgia Hunter-Bell 4:01.30 to 4:01.52, bettering her own track and meet record.
“I’ve been just working on my mental state and just telling myself to clear my mind throughout the whole race and really settle in, relax and enjoy it,” Hollingsworth said.
“I mean when I say that the crowd was screaming, I don’t know if I could have done that without them.”
Behind them were Sarah Billings (4:03.67), Linden Hall (4:03.79) and Jaylah Hancock-Camerson (4:06.92, PB). In form 800m runner Abbey Caldwell did not start while Australian record holder, Jess Hull, rested after winning two medals at last weekend’s World Indoors.
While the noise of the crowd helped Hollingsworth home, it wasn’t something that Lachlan Kennedy had in mind as he defended his sprint double from last year, winning the 100m in a swift 10.03 seconds (+0.3 m/s) and 200m in 20.38 seconds (-0.7 m/s) in the most dominant single-day sprint double in the Australian modern era.
Kennedy easily dispatched national champion Rohan Browning (10.25) in the 100m, before blasting a world class bend in the 200m and holding off Gout Gout (20.43) in a race where steady rain greeted runners on the start line. The typical Melbourne conditions – 4 seasons in one day – had held off their worst for most of the meet.
“Back to back, it doesn’t get much better than that, I just went out there and gave it my all,” Kennedy said.
“The rain came in when I started running so it was just a hard, gritty run.
“I don’t listen to the noise that much. I just go out there and try and beat whoever is in front of me.”
In the men’s 400m the cream rose to the top with USA’s Diamond League Champion Jacory Patterson pulling away from Australia’s top quarter milers to win in a new meet and track record of 44.41 seconds. Luke Van Ratingen was a determined second in a new personal best of 45.03 seconds – his third in his past three runs – ahead of a new personal best of 45.13s by Thomas Reynolds.
“Knocking the rust out with that race, so I’m pretty satisfied with it,” Patterson said.
“Reece [Holder, 4th in 45.16s] pushed me for the first 300m and he and I have been training for two weeks or so now, this was kind of similar to practice so it was good.”
Olympic champion Nina Kennedy improved the meet record by a centimetre in the pole vault, leaping to a Commonwealth Games qualifier of 4.72m.
“It was a three quarter run-up and it was actually a personal best so I’m really happy,” Kennedy said.
“We are just being conservative. I need to be peaking in Europe and for the Commonwealth Games so I need to be playing the safe game.”
Nicola Olyslagers took out the high jump on count back from Izobelle Louison-Roe, who equalled her personal best with a 1.95m clearance, another Commonwealth Games qualifier for the junior.
Matt Denny took out the discus in 67.51m.
Crowd favourite Seth O’Donnell took the 3000m by the collar, dropping the pacemaker and the field to establish a sizeable lead in a run that resembled his Zatopek victory in December. However, this time he tired over the final lap, with Jackson Sharp chasing him down for a close 7:41.02 to 7:41.11 victory in the biggest win of his career, setting a meet and track record in the process.
The women’s race was a tactical affair with Rose Davies (8:45.13) showing a return to form with her customary kick, to pull away from Maudie Skyring (8:47.05) and national record holder, Georgia Griffith (8:48.00), over the final 200m.
Luke Boyes took a classy win in the 800m, running away from the field down the home straight by a second for victory in 1:45.21 from Daniel Williams (1:46.16). World Indoor representative Bob Abdelrahim was 7th in 1:47.16 while Peter Bol was a late scratching from the start list.
Michelle Jenneke looked clearly on her way to victory in the 100m hurdles after the first six flights but tired to almost be caught on the line by Emily Britton, 13.05 to 13.07 (+1.2). Celeste Mucci set a season’s best 13.08 for third while Delta Amidzovski set a new personal best of 13.16 for fourth.
Sarah Carli was too good for Alanah Yukich in the 400m hurdles, maintaining her composure when challenged entering the home straight to win 56.08 to 56.72.
Ebony Lane took victory in the women’s 100m in 11.51s (-0.2 m/s) while Chad Perris (11.05, +1.0 m/s) and Rhiannon Clarke (13.19, -0.7 m/s) were first across the line in the Para races over the same distance.
Monique Hanlon, the winner of the Perth Track Classic, overcame being placed in lane one to take out the 200m in 23.61s (-0.9).
USA’s Joel Gomez (3:50.93, T13) took down Angus Hincksman (3:52.74, T38) in the Men’s 1500m Ambulant.
Alex Epitropakis set a new personal best of 7.96m to take out the long jump, with World Indoor finalist Liam Adcock two centimetres behind.
Connor Murphy claimed the triple jump in 15.88m and Italy’s Daisy Osakue the discus in 57.94m.
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