A United Front | Australian Athletics Team Sets Sail for Budapest with Seasoned Captaincy

The Australian athletics team will travel to the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a renewed sense pride, united by a quartet of seasoned athletes at the helm.

With a collective tally of 14 World Championships between them, the group of captains consisting of Linden Hall (1500m), Michelle Jenneke (100m Hurdles), Cedric Dubler (Decathlon) and Rhydian Cowley (20km and 35km Race Walk) will lean on their wealth of experience to foster a culture of camaraderie within the team.

Speaking from a deep place of pride, three-time World Championships representative and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Dubler reflected on his time as an Australian representative and the role that strong leaders have played in his lengthy career.

“Coming through, I had captains like Steve Solomon who I’ve always looked up to as well as leaders like Linden in previous years, and now having the opportunity to step up into one of those roles is something very special,” Dubler said.

“In our role as captains, we really want to see this team come together. We have an impressive team with us and each of them are so strong on their own, but in my years, I’ve seen the importance of everyone uniting.

“It’s something we saw in Tokyo. After everyone spent so much time apart in isolation during Covid, the whole team really came together and supported each other which resulted in one of our strongest performances at the Olympics, and that’s the team dynamic that I would like to create.”

With 12 athletes making their senior team debut in Budapest, Olympic finalist and Australian 1500m record holder Hall said she was looking forward to seeing athletes seize the opportunity to learn from each other.

“It’s a special role for a senior athlete to have but I really want to see some of the younger athletes be able to learn from our experience. I remember my first team, I would always look at the senior athletes, see what they were up to and how they did things and it really helped shape me as an athlete and how I conduct myself,” Hall said.

Doubling up in the 20km and 35km race walks, Cowley will be looking to use the opportunity of his captaincy to give back to the sport that has seen him wear the Australian colours at 15 major championships.

“We want to create a welcoming environment and a positive environment, and that will be really helpful to all athletes. I remember when I made my first team, it was great to have that support from leaders and senior athletes, to make me feel like I belonged there and I want to pay that forward and give that to the next generation.”

A revered figure in Australian athletics, Jenneke has contributed to the Australian athletics scene for more than 15 years, and believes there is a responsibility to step into the role.

“This is my fifth World Championships so I almost feel like it’s a responsibility that I should take on as one of the senior member of the team these days. I remember I always looked up captains and senior members of the team. The support was really important to me, and it’s cool to be able to take on that same role and help raise up the newer and younger athletes on the team.”

The Australian team of 66 will take on the 2023 World Athletics Championships from August 19-28 in Budapest, Hungary. Australian audiences can watch live and free via SBS and BeIN Sport.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 12/8/2023