Track Events Preview | Tokyo Olympics

It goes without saying that you should watch every Australian athlete at the Tokyo Olympics, but if you are short for time here are some of the key events that you won't want to miss. 

Men’s 1500m:

An event touted as one of the showdowns of the prgoram, the men’s 1500m battle features three Australians – Stewart McSweyn (Nic Bideau), Oliver Hoare (Dathan Ritzenhein) and Jye Edwards (Dick Telford).

McSweyn has emerged as a genuine medal contender after a rapid rise to stardom on the global stage, crushing national records across a wide range of distances and regularly mixing it with the world’s best athletes. Notably, the King Island product recently became the first Australian to break the 3:30 barrier over 1500m when running 3:29.51 at the Monaco Diamond League. Just one week earlier he ran 3:48.37 at the Oslo Dream Mile – the fastest time worldwide since 2014.

Some are quick to point out that Olympic 1500m bouts are traditionally slow with a fast finish, not suiting McSweyn’s skillsets – but it would be naïve to assume that the front-running Australian will simply watch on helplessly as the medals escape his grasp. Kenya’s Timothy Cheryuiot and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen like to race aggressively, increasing the likelihood that the race will defy the typical Olympic trend.

Hoare holds an outdoor 1500m personal best of 3:33.19, but most exciting for Australian athletics fans is his ability to race. Regardless of the way races unfold, Hoare finds a way to feature in the finish – highlighted by his second place in the 1500m at the Gateshead Diamond League when beating McSweyn.

The 24-year-old has not raced since May, opting to piece together a strong training block ahead of his Olympic debut.

Edwards rounds out the trio as a 3:33.23 man, but his mile time of 3:49.27 suggests the Canberra product may have a bit more to give. The 23-year-old has demonstrated a strong closing ability to win races which saw him emerge as one of the surprise packets of the domestic season.

Women’s 1500m:

Linden Hall became the first Australian woman in history to shatter the four-minute barrier when running 3:59.67 earlier this year to reclaim her Australian record. On that occasion, Hall ran solo for the back end of the race on a low-key night at Box Hill – suggesting she may be capable of more.

Hall narrowly missed the final in Rio and finished in fourth place at the 2018 Commonwealth Games – a record she will be looking to set straight in Tokyo as she approaches the Games in the form of her life. The 30-year-old also registered an Olympic qualifying 800m time of 1:59.22 in her preparation, but says she is “all-in” on the 1500m.

Jessica Hull (Pete Julian) opted not to run the 5000m, instead choosing to focus on the 1500m – seeing the event as her best chance in Tokyo. Hull recently clocked the third fastest time in Australian history in her final hit-out before the Games, running 4:00.72 to fall narrowly short of her 4:00.42 personal best.

The 24-year-old’s talent is no secret after her 2020 rampage in which she broke 1500m, 3000m and 5000m national records in the space of one month – establishing herself as one of Australia’s brightest middle-distance athletes.  

Georgia Griffith (Stephen Ellinghaus) defied the odds to qualify for her first Olympic Games and will join the Hall and Hull combo in the women’s 1500m. Griffith has struggled with injury in the lead up to the Games but is a class act when fit and rolling.

Men’s 800m:

The Justin Rinaldi coached duo of Peter Bol and Jeff Riseley will line up alongside compatriot Charlie Hunter (Ben Thomas) in a stacked men’s 800m field for the Australians, with all three men securing the Olympic standard of 1:45.20 with ease.  

Athletics fans can appreciate how hard it is to run 1:44 over 800m on Australian soil – Bol did it twice in a week in June when registering times of 1:44.88 and 1:44.62 to become the fastest Australian in history on home soil. At the Gateshead Diamond League, Bol finished in third place when taking the scalps of many of the rivals he will compete against in Tokyo.

Hunter came within reach of Joseph Deng’s 1:44.21 national record when running 1:44.35 in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the Olympics, ending a string of near misses. The Oregon University product is starting to reap the rewards of consistent training and racing in the NCAA system, with an Olympic berth a dream come true for the 25-year-old.

Riseley lines up for his fourth Olympic Games – an incredible feat in its own right. The seasoned-veteran has a season’s best of 1:44.85 at 34-years-old and will be looking to navigate the traditionally tricky first round of the 800m with his Australian teammates.

Women’s 800m:

Catriona Bisset (Peter Fortune) is the proud owner of the ninth fastest women’s 800m time in the world this year with her 1:58.09 national record in June, placing her in firm contention for one of the eight lanes in the Olympic final.

Bisset means business in 2021 and proved just that when arriving on international soil after a dominant domestic season, clocking four consecutive sub two-minute performances prior to the Games – 1:58.09, 1:59.30, 1:59.13 and 1:58.42.

The 27-year-old has adopted an aggressive racing style this season when welcoming the challenge of taking on the world’s best athletes in her discipline, regularly throwing down the gauntlet to more accomplished competitors to make for enticing viewing.

Morgan Mitchell (Elizabeth Mathews) will line up alongside Bisset to form an Australia duo in the event, five years after making the semi-finals of the 400m in Rio. Mithcell’s fastest legal time of the season stands at 2:03.81, or 2:01.92 in a mixed race.

Men’s 100m:

The blue ribband event at the Olympic Games to crown the title of the “world’s fastest man” always generates much anticipation, but even more so this year for Australians with Rohan Browning (Andrew Murphy) on the scene.

Browning’s illustrious 2021 started with a windy 9.96 in January, before he clocked a personal best of 10.05 in March to qualify for his first Olympic Games. There has been no slowing him down since, with the 23-year-old registering a series of exceptional times despite being unchallenged by his domestic foes.

With racing company from the fastest men on the planet, coupled with supreme sprinting conditions in Japan – Browning is confident he can run under 10-seconds and challenge Patrick Johnson’s 9.93 Australian record.

If he can do so, he will find himself deep into the rounds of the 100m at an Olympic Games – with the last Australian man to make an Olympic 100m final Hec Hogan in 1956.

Women’s 100m:

Hana Basic (John Nicolosi) has run six personal bests this season, lowering her fastest 100m time from 11.63 down to 11.16 to become the fourth fastest Australian woman in history. It’s a rapid progression, and one that has her creeping closer to Melissa Breen’s 11.11 national record.

The rejuvenated sprinter will have her work cut out for her such is the standard of women’s sprinting worldwide, but a chance to witness one of the fastest women in Australian history at the peak of her powers on the Olympic stage is one you won’t want to miss.

Women’s 200m:

Riley Day (Paul Pearce) is flying right now, it’s as simple as that.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a resurgence in 2021 after a promising junior career, charging her way to a 22.77 personal best in March to qualify for her Olympic debut. Firing on all cylinders, Day also nailed a career-best 11.31 seconds over 100m earlier this month along with taking down Australia’s fastest woman Hana Basic in June.

The Beaudesert product has a wealth of experience under her belt and possesses both the talent and self-belief required to carry her to an Olympic 200m final.

Women’s 3000m Steeplechase:

Genevieve Gregson (Nic Bideau) has endured a challenging few years with injury to earn her third Olympic tracksuit, appearing in Tokyo in career-best shape.

Gregson presents sharp with races under her belt, the most recent of those a 9:17.81 over the 3000m steeplechase – the second fastest time in Australian history behind her own 9:14.28 national record. Boasting one decade of international experience, the 31-year-old is a strong chance to improve on her ninth place finish in Rio.

Amy Cashin (Sean Cleary) will also toe the line after nailing the Olympic standard with a 9:28.60 performance in June. The run was a 15-second personal best for the Cashin, with the US-based Australian forcing her way onto her maiden Olympic team where she can be expected to improve once again.  

Georgia Winkcup (Ben Liddy) fills Australia’s quota in the event possessing a season’s best of 9:39.27 despite a troublesome few years with various injuries, entering personal best territory on the eve of the Games.

Men’s Decathlon:

Comprised of six field events and four track events, this should have slotted into our Field Events Preview - but Ash Moloney (Eric Brown) and Cedric Dubler (Eric Brown) are a set to put on a show in the men’s decathlon.

The two Queenslanders share a special bond as training partners and friends, with Dubler recently saying that the apprentice (Moloney) has become the master himself. At 21-years-old, Moloney has the Australian and Oceania record to his name – a whopping 8492 points in December of 2020.

Dubler competed at the Rio Olympics in the decathlon with Tokyo set to be his second appearance, whilst Moloney is no stranger to the limelight as a world junior champion.

The two boast an incredible range of personal bests that would be competitive in most national finals alone, let alone pieced together over two gruelling days of competition. Moloney holds personal bests of 45.82 in the 400m, 2.11m in the high jump, 10.36 seconds in the 100m and 5.05m in the pole vault – just to demonstrate the beasts we are dealing with here.

Women's 100m Hurdles: 

Liz Clay (Sharon Hannan) has been on an absolute tear in 2021 - one that may take her to the Olympic final of the 100m hurdles. 

Clay clocked a personal best of 12.72 in February before backing that performance up with a strong performance in a mixed race prior to departing for Tokyo. The time elevates Clay to second on the Australian all-time list, only behind the legendary Sally Pearson. 

The 26-year-old has rarely seen any of her rivals after the first hurdle, with the challenge of elite competition likely to be welcomed by the fierce competitor. A personal best seems invetible, but just how fast can Clay go? 

Women’s 4x400m:

A squad of Bendere Oboya (John Quinn), Kendra Hubbard (John Nicolosi), Ellie Beer (Brett Robinson), Anneliese Rubie-Renshaw (Peter Fortune), Angie Blackburn (Adrian Faccioni) has been assembled for the women's 4x400m - one that is looking like having a successful campaign. 

Whilst Oboya and Rubie-Renshaw have been staples at the top of the Australian women's 400m rankings, Hubbard's recent personal best of 52.23 and 18-year-old Beer's best of 52.53 will be welcomed additions to the team along with Blackburn's 52.71. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 29/07/2021