BRANDON STARC

BIOGRAPHY

Brandon Star has been a fixture on the national team for over a decade. He has an impressive competitive record, making the final in his last seven international championships and winning two Commonwealth Games medals. After equalling the National record in 2018 (2.36m), he was brilliant in Tokyo clearing an outstanding 2.35m in the final to place fifth.

Selected for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games in June 2022, unfortunately Brandon had to withdraw from the Worlds on the eve of the championships, as he had been battling a bruised heel in the leadup to Eugene. Two weeks later in Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games, where he started as defending champion, he had to jump through the pain to take the silver medal with a clearance of 2.25m.

He started 2023 with a short European indoor tour with a best result of 2.27m. Seeking his fifth National title in April, he was involved in an intriguing battle with Victorian Joel Baden. Brandon would finish second with a 2.29m clearance – his best jump Since the Tokyo Olympics.  

Brandon had a delay to his international season when in April he snapped his collarbone in a freak accident when his spikes were caught in the high jump bags while doing runup drills.

Selected for Budapest 2023, it was Brandon ninth Australian senior team and marked a decade on the National team. After clearing 2.28m in the qualifying round, he settled for equal 8th in the final with a 2.25m jump. He maintained his impressive record of qualifying for finals, his 7th consecutive, only missing in his senior debut at the world championships in 2013.

Brandon didn’t compete during the 2024 domestic season battling a hip injury.

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Brandon Starc began in Little Athletics, with all his siblings, at an early age at Parramatta and began to focus on high jump seriously in about 2009. He also played cricket and football but decided to pursue athletics. 

In his international debut at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010, Brandon won silver with a PB 2.19m. In 2012, he placed sixth at the world juniors ahead of his senior debut in 2013 at the world championships. Eighth in the Commonwealth Games in 2014, preceded a breakthrough in 2015 where domestically he raised his PB to 2.30m, before a magnificent first attempt clearance at 2.31m in the qualifying round at the world championships. It earned him a berth in the final, the first Australian since Tim Forsyth in 1997 to make the world championship final. 
Selected for the Rio Olympics, he was excellent there, clearing 2.29m in the qualifying round to progress to the final where he placed 15th. Limited competition in 2017, due to injury (shin) which left him short of a qualifier for the 2017 World Championships.

A solid 2017/18 domestic season saw him win the Commonwealth Games trials with a jump of 2.28m – his best height since Rio. A landmark year started with him winning the Commonwealth Games gold with a PB 2.32m clearance. In Europe he equalled his PB 2.32m in Hungary, then set a PB 2.33m in Birmingham in August. A week later he added another an astonishing 3cm to his best with an amazing 2.36m clearance in Germany. The mark equalled the Australian record, was the highest leap by an Australian for 21 years and moved him to equal third in the world.
Five days later he cleared 2.33m to win the 2018 Diamond League final and then won silver in the Continental Cup. Despite injury in 2019, he placed sixth in the world championships final, the equal best Australian male at the championships.

In April 2021 Brandon won his fourth national high jump title to confirm his position in the team for Tokyo, his second Olympics. A 2.33m clearance in Rome in the leadup had him primed for a strong performance at the Games. In the empty Olympic stadium, he was clear at every height until 2.30m, then he was nearly bundled out with two misses at 2.33m, but he recovered to clear 2.35m at his first attempt as just five athletes remained in the competition. Brandon then missed attempts at 2.37m and 2.39m. Eventually 2.37m was a height which won all the medals. Brandon’s 2.35m was the highest fifth place leapt in any competition in history. He would have also won bronze at every Olympics in the last two decades.
“That was hard – 2.35m to come fifth. I don’t even know if that’s happened before,” he said.
“I thought I was a genuine chance at 2.39m to be honest. As soon as the three of them jumped 2.37m the best I would have come was fourth and I wanted a medal.”

He is the younger brother of Australian cricketer Mitchell whom he regards as a major influence too him. In his earlier days, Brandon also ran in the hurdles. His hobbies include photography and golf and he and wife and former sprinter Laura Starc (nee Turner) welcomed a son (Oli or Oliver) in November 2021. He also likes spending time with his two Italian greyhounds Toni and Maci.

@ 3 June 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au