Australia’s track and field athletes are making headlines once again as a mixed 4x400m relay team shattered the national record and secured a spot at the upcoming world athletics championships. The dynamic quartet, comprising Cooper Sherman, Ellie Beer, Reece Holder, and Alanah Yukich—three of whom are set to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics—clocked an impressive time of 3 minutes and 12.34 seconds in challenging weather conditions during the world athletics relays held in China. This remarkable achievement saw them surpass the previous national record by 4.66 seconds.
The Australian team finished second in their heat in Guangzhou, trailing behind Belgium, who won with a time of 3 minutes and 11.83 seconds. The record they bested had been set in 2021 on the Gold Coast by Bendere Oboya, Annelise Rubie-Renshaw, Tyler Gunn, and Alex Beck, who recorded a time of 3:17.00.
With the finals scheduled for Sunday night, the Australian team is eager to showcase their talent once more. Yukich expressed her pride in the team’s performance, stating, “We had such a strong team for this and went in trusting one another. We executed it to perfection, and I’m just so proud to anchor for this team. It’ll be really exciting to see what we can do in Tokyo.”
In the women’s 4x100m heats, Spain narrowly defeated a formidable Jamaican team featuring renowned sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson. Spain posted a time of 42.18 seconds, edging out Jamaica’s 42.51 seconds.
Australia’s athletics scene is thriving, buoyed by standout athletes like Gout Gout, Cameron Myers, Jessica Hull, Nicola Olyslagers, and Eleanor Patterson. At the Paris Olympics, the Australian athletics team achieved remarkable success, securing seven medals—the highest tally since the Melbourne 1956 Games.
As Australia continues to excel on the global athletics stage, all eyes will be on the athletes as they strive for further success in the upcoming championships and future events.