Two golds at World Championships, with Commonwealth Games athletics starting tomorrow

Australia recorded one of its strongest ever team performances at the World Athletics Championships, headlined by gold medals to Kelsey-Lee Barber and Eleanor Patterson.

Barber successfully defended her javelin world title from 2019, becoming only the second Australian after Cathy Freeman to win back-to-back world titles.

Patterson equalled the Australian record and set a new personal best of 2.02m to claim gold in the high jump.

A third medal, bronze, was won in the field by pole vaulter Nina Kennedy.

Eight other athletes finished in the top eight in their event: Jemima Montag (4th), Mackenzie Little (5th), Nicola Olyslagers (5th), Brooke Buschkuehl (5th), Matt Denny (6th), Peter Bol (7th), Jessica Hull (7th) and Cedric Dubler (8th).

Two-thirds of the Australian team performed above expectations, finishing in a higher position than their ranking (on season’s best) leading into the competition.

Commonwealth Games

Many of the team have now crossed the Atlantic and will shift their focus from the world stage to the Commonwealth Games. All of Australia’s top 8 finishers at the World Championships are set to compete, with COVID clouds hanging over Kelsey-Lee Barber (positive test, but asymptomatic) and Jessica Hull (withdrew from 5000m at World Championships after a positive test).

Unfortunately, Riley Day (200m), Joseph Deng (800m), Liz Clay (100m hurdles) and Ash Moloney (decathlon) have had to withdraw from the meet due to injury.

The Australian team for the Commonwealth Games, and their placing at the recent World Championships, is below.

Commonwealth Games Start Lists

Entry lists are available here. As expected due to the event being so close to the World Championships, there have been a number of international withdrawals, including Canada’s world champion 4x100m team. Expect to see many changes over the coming days.

Commonwealth Games Schedule

An excellent event schedule, including when Australian athletes take to the field and track, has been created by Andrew Pryn and is available from the Athletes Australia Facebook page.

Need new spikes? Enjoy 25% off with our Green & Gold Sale!

Use code BIRMINGHAM at checkout to get 25% off your order. Valid until 11:59pm AEST on Sunday 31 July.

Recent posts:

• 
  Welcome, sub 10 man Edward Osei-Nketia
  Australia’s Newest Sprint Star—Made in NZ, Claimed by Australia, Powered by 9.96 Australia has a long and storied tradition of adopting New Zealand’s best exports. Phar Lap? Naturally Australian (don’t look too closely at the birthplace). Crowded House? Absolutely Australian… except for the parts that aren’t. Russell Crowe? Australian when he’s winning Oscars or supporting… Read more: Welcome, sub 10 man Edward Osei-Nketia
• 
  The Top 10 Meet Records of Australian All Schools History
  Entering perhaps its 50th edition, the Australian All Schools Championships have been the proving ground for the nation’s best young athletes. Since the first edition in 1974*, the meet has evolved through several age-group formats including U19/U17/U15, later U20/U18/U16/U14, and today’s U18/U17/U16/U15/U14 structure — but its essence is relatively unchanged: the best school-aged athletes in… Read more: The Top 10 Meet Records of Australian All Schools History
• 
  Izzi Batt-Doyle: Ready for Valencia
  With the Adelaide summer turning up the heat, Izzi Batt-Doyle wrapped up her final major workout before flying to Europe for Sunday’s Valencia Marathon. The session? A warm, windy grind of 4 × 2km reps, each followed by 3 × 200m, repeated across three sets — roughly 12km of work on tired marathon legs. The… Read more: Izzi Batt-Doyle: Ready for Valencia
• 
  Speed over strength: Myers out kicks O’Donnell to win cross country trial
  Stromlo Forest Park is not known for generosity. It rewards rhythm, honest strength and an ability to hurt. But on a picture-perfect Friday evening in Canberra, it yielded instead to a different kind of weapon — pure, unfiltered speed — as 19-year-old Cameron Myers produced a home-straight overdrive to steal the 2026 World Cross Country… Read more: Speed over strength: Myers out kicks O’Donnell to win cross country trial
• 
  What are spikes? Lucas Chis’s rise from rookie to record holder
  When the stadium clock stopped at 14:06.76, 17-year-old Lucas Chis did not raise his arms or search for a camera. He simply bent at the waist, hands on knees, and exhaled. The time was fast enough to break the Australian Under 18 5000m record: a mark formerly held by Mark Thompson (14:20.0 in 1996) and Ryan Gregson (14:14.35 in 2007),… Read more: What are spikes? Lucas Chis’s rise from rookie to record holder