Paris Preview: Athletics
With track and field getting underway, HER WAY highlights 10 Australian athletes/events to keep an eye on in Paris.
JEMIMA MONTAG (20km Racewalk):
One of Australia’s best medal chances in athletics is on the opening day with the 20km walk. It’s been a sensational 24 months for Jemima, starting with breaking the longstanding national record in early 2022, then going on to win her second Commonwealth Games title later that year.
In 2023 the Victorian broke through at a major international meet, claiming silver at the World Championships, and in May this year placed second at the an event in Poland behind legendary Chinese multiple world champion Liu Hong.
Jemima will no doubt be one of the favourites when the race gets underway on Thursday afternoon.
FUN FACT: Jemima was selected as a global recipient of the IOC’s Young Leaders Program, which helped her set up ‘Play On’, an initiative which aims to keep girls in sport.
WHEN: 20km walk - 1st August 5:20pm AEST
NICOLA OLYSLAGERS, ELEANOR PATTERSON (High Jump):
Australia is fortunate to have not only one, but two genuine medal chances in High Jump. Eleanor was the 2022 Outdoor World Champion, while Nicola became Indoor World Champ earlier this year. The two women have come through junior ranks and elite level competition together, born just seven months apart.
Nicola is the reigning Olympic silver medallist, Eleanor the 2022 Commonwealth champion, while at last year’s World Champs both were on the podium. Both have had medal-winning performances during the Diamond League season.
HER WAY asked Eleanor about the pair’s rivalry earlier this year;
“It’s a wonderful thing. There’s a huge amount of respect between the both of us. We haven’t competed against each other a huge amount in the last couple of years, but every time I do, especially when it comes to a final, to see another Australian and to see more Australian flags… it’s a beautiful thing.”
Both will be chasing Ukrainian Yaroslava Machuchikh, who set a world record just last month at the Diamond League.
FUN FACT: Eleanor is an avid and talented knitter, while Nicola has become synonymous with her notepad which she writes in after every jump.
WHEN: High Jump Qualifying - 2nd August 6:15pm
CLAUDIA HOLLINGSWORTH (800m)
While HER WAY is highlighting Claudia, all three of Australia’s 800m runners in Paris are capable of producing a great run. Teen sporting prodigy Claudia has already had a taste of representing Australia at a Senior major event, when she ran the 800m at the 2022 World Champs as a 17 year old. Just 10 days after that she was competing in the U20 version of the event, placing second in her semi before being disqualified for making contact with another runner.
A relative unknown 12 months ago but now appearing in media and on TV shows, Claudia has produced an incredible season of running in Australia, breaking the U20 national record three times in the space of just two months, and topped it off by claiming her first ever Senior 800m National Title in Adelaide just as she celebrated her 19th birthday. She won the title ahead of more established runners such as Paris teammates Catriona Bisset and Abbey Caldwell.
The opportunity for Claudia to run against the very best in the world will be essential for her development and future, and if her rapid improvement this year is anything to go by, she’s capable of raising her performance to yet another level in Paris.
FUN FACT: Claudia is also a talented Aussie Rules player who will resume playing after the Olympics and U20 World Champs
WHEN: 800m Round 1 - August 3rd 3:45am
STEPH RATCLIFFE (Hammer Throw):
The young hammer thrower, who is making her Olympic debut in Paris, has had a break out past 12 months.
She won the college NCAA title last year while representing the prestigious Harvard University, and also broke the 20 year old Australian record when she landed a throw of 73.11m. Steph changed colleges to the University of Florida this year, winning silver at the SEC Championships where she was named Second team All-SEC.
Already with senior team experience at last year’s World Champs, watch for the Aussie to increase her reputation on the world stage in Paris.
FUN FACT: Steph is studying business analytics at college in Florida
WHEN: Hammer Throw Qualifying - August 4th 7:45pm
NINA KENNEDY (Pole Vault):
After a bronze medal at the 2022 World Champs and gold at the Comm Games the same year, the Western Australian pole vaulter put her name on everyone’s radar for Paris last year with her now famous shared World Title, when she and American Katie Moon agreed to share the gold medal at the end of a Lomb and exhausting final.
That effort saw Nina win Athletics Australia’s Performance of the Year as well as Female Able Bodied Athlete of the Year.
Nina enters the Olympics in terrific form, having won back to back Diamond League events in Monaco and London, putting her in the frame to repeat her World Championships success. At 27 years old, Nina believes she still hasn’t reached her peak, telling HER WAY, “I’m relatively young in terms of the optimum age for a pole vaulter, and if I’m being honest, my goals are set as high as possible. I’m so excited for Paris, and I’ll be going for gold.”
FUN FACT: In 2022 Nina became just the 5th Aussie to become a Diamond League champion.
WHEN: Pole Vault Qualifying - August 5th 6:40pm
JESSICA HULL (1500m):
The 27yr old from NSW is in the best form of her career, and can be considered a genuine medal chance in Paris.
Jess broke the 1500m Australian record in mid July on her way to winning silver at the Diamond League in Paris behind world record holder and gold medal favourite Faith Kipyegon, and then the following week in Monaco broke the World record in the non-Olympic distance of 2000m on her way to winning gold.
During the first half of this year Jess has broken several other Australian records, including the Indoor 3000m, the Indoor Mile and 1000m Short track.
Australia has a very good group of female middle distance runners currently, and with Georgia Griffith also breaking a national record this year and Athletics team co-captain Linden Hall setting a PB at the Olympic venue in early July, the competition among the Aussie girls could see the National record under threat again.
FUN FACT: Jess also played football until the age of 14
WHEN: 1500m Round 1 - August 6th 6:05pm
BROOKE BUSCHKUEHL (Long Jump):
Australia’s queen of long jump qualified for her third Olympics, but by her own admission, it wasn’t the easiest of seasons for Brooke Buschkuehl.
The National record holder has been brave in talking about the physical and mental health struggles she’s had to overcome in the past 12 months, while still being able to compete at a level which would see her meet the standards to be on the plane for Paris. In April Brooke did just that, putting together a good performance to claim her sixth National title.
Brooke finished 5th at the 2022 World Champs in the US, showing that if she can put it all together on the day in Paris, another Olympic final is definitely achievable.
FUN FACT: Brooke’s sister Kristy plays AFLW for Hawthorn
WHEN: Long Jump Qualifying - August 6th 7:15pm
MACKENZIE LITTLE (Javelin):
It’s not often a two time World Champion is overshadowed by a teammate, but heading into Paris, Mackenzie Little is the form javelin athlete in the Aussie team.
Mackenzie enters the Olympics having just thrown a PB and the second biggest throw of 2024 on her way to gold at the London Diamond League a couple of weeks ago, after winning silver a week earlier in Monaco. The reigning World Championship bronze medallist is continuing to build in her preparation and performances, and is a strong medal chance in Paris.
Meanwhile Kelsey-Lee Barber has flown under the radar a bit over the past 12 months, but you can never count out some on who won back-to-back World Championships.
FUN FACT: Mackenzie was working as a doctor in a Sydney hospital just days before arriving in Europe for her final events before Paris.
WHEN: Javelin Qualifying - August 7th 6:25pm/7:50pm
4 x 100m RELAY TEAM:
The current squad of relay sprinters have given Australian fans cause for optimism. The group, which features 100m National record holder Torrie Lewis, the experienced Bree Masters, Ella Connolly, Kristie Edwards and Ebony Lane, have broken the Aussie 4 x 100m record three times since March.
With the unpredictable nature of relay running, it can be anyone’s race on any given day. HER WAY asked Tokyo Olympian relay runner Anneliese Rubie-Renshaw about what goes in to making a relay team successful on the day;
“Everyone has to be in their best form individually (physically and mentally). Secondly, it’s important for the team to have confidence and trust in each other. Belief that the other runners in your team are going to give it their all just as much as you are.”
Anneliese also shared her thoughts on the challenges involved.
“The timing and pressure of baton changes are crucial. The 4 x 100 change is all about precision, the incoming runner needs to match the pace of the outgoing runner and hand the baton perfectly in the outgoing runner’s hand as they are running away from you.
You can imagine how different it would be running in training compared to in the stadium with crowds and the best people in the world alongside you. Some people lift and run much quicker in a race like this than they usually do in training, so that adds to the challenge in getting timing right with baton changes.”
This Aussie squad seems to have done plenty of training camps both in Australia and overseas to get all these aspects working well together. If things go their way on the day, anything is possible in terms of a result.
FUN FACT: despite being the 100m national record holder, Torrie Lewis prefers 200m. Bree Masters kills it on social media, with great BTS content of life as an athlete.
WHEN: Round 1 - August 8th 7:10pm
GEN GREGSON (Marathon):
Sometimes it’s not about the result, but the journey along the way, and that’s the case with Gen Gregson.
The last time we saw the Aussie runner on an Olympic track, she was leaving in a wheelchair in tears, having ruptured her Achilles tendon during the 3000m Steeplechase final in a Tokyo… on her birthday of all days.
Since then, she’s become a mum, reinvented herself as a marathon runner, and in the process ran the third fasted ever marathon by an Aussie woman last December in Spain.
The class of Australian marathon runners in Paris is high quality, highlighted by the fact that several other runners also posted qualifying standard times but didn’t make the team. All three Aussie women who will take to the start line on the final day of the Paris games are mums - Sinead Diver, Jess Stenson, with Gen the youngest of the trio at 34 years old.
FUN FACT: Paris will be Gen’s fourth consecutive Olympics, her first in marathon
WHEN: Women’s Marathon - August 11th 4:00pm
