Georgia Griffith

BIOGRAPHY

Georgia Griffith is one of Australia's leading middle-distance runners who has represented Australia at two World Championships and made her Olympic debut over 1500m in Tokyo. The smooth-mover overcame a series of injuries to qualify for the Games - a credit to her character. 

In Tokyo running her first 1500m of the year (due to injury) and just second 1500m for two years (due to COVID competition cancellations), Georgia placed 14th in her heat in a time of 4:14.43.

Easing into the 2022 domestic season, she finished in style placing second in the National 1500m title. She then went on a barnstorming campaign of six races across three continents with just one loss. She won 1500s at the Brisbane Track Classic, Seiko GP in Tokyo, a 1500m in Norway, then a Mile win and PB in London. She also just missed her 800m PB in Holland for another win. But her breakthrough race was at the Rabat Diamond League where she chased the leaders in a fast race, placing fourth in a stunning 4:00.16. It elevated her to number three Australian all-time.

Competing at her third world championships, Georgia continued her progression in 2022. Progressing to the heats in 2017, semi-final in 2019, in 2022 she made the final where she placed a terrific 9th in 4:03.26. Close to her 800m PB domestically in 2023, injury hampered her season.

After another casual start domestically in 2024, Georgia mirrored her barnstorming 2022 campaign. She placed second in the National 3000m on debut at the distance clocking an impressive 8:37.85. She closed the summer with second in the National 1500m title, but a week later at the Xiamen Diamond League in China she dipped under four minutes in the 1500m clocking 3:59.04 – moving to number 3 Australian all-time. There was another sub-4 run for third at the Stockholm Diamond League. In Oslo on May 30, she won the Oslo Diamond League 3000m, defeating Jessica Hull and breaking her National record with a time of 8:24.20.

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Griffith had always enjoyed running so when she moved to the city in her mid-teens, she decided to commence regular training. Just days after her 17th birthday she tasted success, winning the 2013 Australian All Schools Championships 800m gold medal in 2:09. Breakthroughs followed later that summer, with consecutive personal bests seeing her end-of-season mark sitting at 2:05.77. 

At the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, she ran three consecutive 2:04 800s through the three rounds, clocking a PB of 2:04.00 in the semi and placing fourth in the final behind teammate Georgia Wassall.

Her 2016/17 season was another breakthrough campaign with three domestic season 800m PBs, eventually seeing the mark sit at 2:02.09. After a stint of altitude training at Flagstaff she stunned the Australian distance community with massive career bests five days apart in Portland. She first ran 2:00.90 for the 800m, to qualify for the IAAF world championships, moving her to 13th on the Australian all-time list and recording the fastest time by an Australian for six years. Five days later, she sliced six seconds from her 1500m career best with a time of 4:07.32, also moving to 13th on the Australian all-time list and her second world championships qualifier for the week. She was selected to compete in both events at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, becoming the first Australian athlete to compete in both events at the same world championships. Although not progressing out of the heats in both events she was competitive in her senior debut. Two weeks later she competed at the World University Games in Taipei where she concentrated on just the 800m. Running well in the early rounds, she just missed a medal in the final, by 0.3 seconds, filling fourth place. But after the event, the winner, Cuba's Rose Almanza Blanco, was disqualified for running on the inside of the track. Griffith stood on the podium and proudly accepted the bronze medal. But later that evening, after a protest from Cuba, the winner was re-instated, and Griffith relegated to her original finishing position of fourth. 

For a tilt at the Commonwealth Games, Griffith narrowed her focus to the 800m for the 2017/18 season. In January she ran her second fastest ever time, clocking 2:01.09. At the Australian Championships, she placed third, but second Australian to ensure automatic nomination to the Games team. Her 800m/1500m doubling continued at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, running a PB every time she raced, finishing fifth in the 1500m and in the 800m heats.

She showed strong 800m/1500m form in early 2019 before making the semi-final of the 1500m at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, where she finished in 10th place and did not progress to the final. 
An injury-ravaged few years saw Griffith lightly raced throughout 2020 and into 2021, but the 24-year-old showed strong form when it needed - securing a quota position to qualify in the 1500m for her first Olympic Games in Tokyo.  

Hero: Charlene Rendina, the Australian record holder in the 800m for more than thirty years. Also Laura Muir – “I have always been really impressed with her style of running, particularly how hard she goes from the start.”…Education: completed double degree of Design (Communications) and Business (Marketing) at Monash University (2017-2021)…Hobbies – Drawing, netflix and reading

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