Diminished world championships return fails to cloud Australian optimism | World Athletics Championships

Australiaâ€s head of athletic high performance has described Gout Goutâ€s national debut in Tokyo as “just brilliant†and has defended the teamâ€s overall performance, even though the medal return was down on tallies at the Paris Olympics and at the previous World Athletics Championships in Budapest two years ago.

Australia finished the competition on Sunday with gold in the womenâ€s high jump through Nicola Olyslagers, adding to bronze medals to pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall, javelin thrower Mackenzie Little and Jess Hull, who was on the podium in the 1500m and also made the 800m final. While the tally is down compared to recent major meets, four medals is Australiaâ€s equal second-largest return in world championships history.

Australian Athletics general manager of high performance, Andrew Faichney, said over the nine days of the meet there were strong performances from younger athletes while those four previous medallists delivered again. “Thatâ€s a really good return on the back of last yearâ€s performances,†he said. “It might on face value seem like itâ€s a drop away, [but] we had three medalists or three medals not here as well.â€

The team collected six medals in Budapest, and seven in Paris. Only one gold was won at each meet, and in both cases it came from pole vaulter Nina Kennedy who missed Tokyo through injury. Walker Jemima Montag, who won two medals in France, and world indoors silver medallist Lachie Kennedy were also missing.

“All in all, I think itâ€s been really successful,†Faichney said. “Weâ€ve had a number of our juniors that have been able to come through, get on the team and perform, and so for year one in an Olympic cycle itâ€s looking very good.â€

Asked who he was surprised to see do well, Faichney immediately volunteered the teamâ€s high-profile teenager. “Everyone had so much expectation around Gout, but his performance was just brilliant, really,†Faichney said. “The fact that he was able to perform so well in his heat, get through into the semi and finish strongly in that semi, that was fantastic as a 17-year-old athlete.â€

He also spoke glowingly about Claudia Hollingsworth and Abbey Caldwell, who were close to the 800m final, 23-year-old Ky Robinson who finished fourth in the 5000m, and sprinter Torrie Lewis who set two personal best times at the meet.

High jumper Nicola Olyslagers won Australiaâ€s only gold medal of the championships. Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters

Faichney defended the relay teams, who struggled with two failed changeovers and one disqualification in six races, saying the programme is at the start of a journey towards the Los Angeles Games.

“If I turned to 2028 and we had this performance, thatâ€d be a different circumstance,†he said. “This year [is the] first year really having a crack at it, itâ€s been really solid for us to get those teams here.â€

Faichney also acknowledged some athletes did not meet their expectations. Highly touted 1500m runner Cameron Myers did not make it out of his heat, nor did national 800m record holder Peter Bol. Long jumper Liam Adcock – seeded No 3 in the world – did not reach the final.

“This is a late championships for us, and weâ€ve had a competition structure [that includes] our domestic season at the start of the year, and then we came all the way through to September,†he said. “Have we managed that part of it as well as other countries whoâ€ve just come out of the European [summer]? Maybe that is the situation, I think thatâ€s what weâ€ve got to actually have a look at.â€

At 86 athletes, the team was the largest Australian team ever at a world championships and equal largest ever at a global meet. Faichney pushed back on suggestions they were taking too many non-medal contenders.

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“Itâ€s a fantastic thing that weâ€ve got a really large team, and a big part of that size comes out of those relays as well, so I donâ€t want to forget that,†he said. “Pretty much the last athlete to be selected was Delta Amidzovski, whoâ€s a gold medalist from the World U-20s last year going into the long jump. Absolutely, we want her to be here.â€

Goutâ€s emergence on the world stage was the dominant thread in the storyline of Australiaâ€s championships, but Hullâ€s competitiveness across both the 1500m and 800m underlined her status of the queen of Australian track.

She said the sportâ€s momentum will continue into the Glasgow Commonwealth Games next year, the Beijing World Championships in 2027 – which, like this yearâ€s, will be in a timezone friendly for Australian audiences – and through to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

“People sometimes forget that athletics is as big as it is,†she said. “Iâ€m sure when theyâ€re watching at home and seeing full stadiums like this, it becomes a bit more meaningful and has a bit more impact, and those tickets in 2032 will be so hotly sought after.â€

Hull pledged to be there in Brisbane, when she will be 35, most likely be contesting the 5000m. “I love the sport, I want to be here for a long time and I think leaving that 5k for something beyond LA gives me another life for that next Olympic cycle, especially into the home Olympics.â€

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