Review: Australian Athletics Championships 2026

Dates: 09/04/2026 – 12/04/2026 Location: Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre (SOPAC)

The 2026 Australian Athletics Championships showcased a thrilling four days of competition, with UTS Norths athletes delivering standout performances, Personal Bests (PB), and podium finishes across the board.

Day 1: Field Dominance and Track Prelims

The opening day set a high bar, particularly in the field events. Desleigh Owusu signaled her intentions early, placing 1st in the Triple Jump Qualification (Group B) with a leap of 13.40m. In the Hammer circle, Lauren Clark secured a 3rd place finish in the Open Women’s qualifications (58.94m) to advance, while Scarlett O’Connor finished 24th.

On the track, Edward Parker (T20) claimed a brilliant 2nd place in the Para 400m Final A (53.15s). In the Women's 400m Preliminaries, Isabel Nystrom (5th) and Sally Guthrie (6th) both successfully navigated their way through to the next round for UTS Norths.

Day 2: PB Fever and Golden Jumps

Day 2 was defined by massive improvements and podium consistency. Desleigh Owusu capped off her campaign with a 1st place finish in the Triple Jump Final, recording a Season Best of 13.58m.

The Men’s 400m heats were a highlight for the UTS Norths contingent:

• Luke Van Ratingen: 1st in Heat 2 (45.25s).
• Brenton Kerr: 1st in Heat 1 with a PB and U23 Club Record (45.36s).
• Zen Clark: 3rd in Heat 3 (46.45s).

In the 100m Preliminaries, Barnabas Ronto took 1st in Heat 5 (10.55s), while Connor Bond dominated Heat 5 of the 100m qualifiers with a blistering 1st place (10.28s). Lauren Clark returned for the Hammer Final, securing a bronze medal finish in 3rd with 60.94m.

Day 3: Near-Misses and Hurdles Mastery

Drama unfolded in the Men's Hammer Final where Timothy Heyes placed 2nd (68.99m), agonizingly close to the title - missing out on 1st place by just 10cm. Matthew Hunt showed incredible form in the 400m Hurdles heats, placing 1st (52.25s).

The Para-athletes continued to shine in the 100m Finals:

• Mali Lovell (T36): 3rd (14.47s).
• Sybella Warton (T37): 8th (14.54s).

In the 400m Finals, Luke Van Ratingen powered to a 2nd place finish (45.25s), while Alice Dixon narrowly missed the podium in 4th (52.98s). Connor Bond finished a highly competitive 100m Final in 4th place (10.33s).

Day 4: Record-Breaking Finale

The final day was a historic one for the club records. Matthew Hunt produced the performance of the meet, taking 1st place in the 400m Hurdles Final. His time of 49.37s was a massive PB and a new club record.

In the Shot Put circle, Alexander Kolesnikoff secured a 2nd place finish with a throw of 18.32m, setting a new club record.

In the 800m Final, Luke Boyes ran a tactical masterpiece to finish 2nd (1:45.73). Meanwhile, in the Para-sprints, Edward Parker (T20) wrapped up a busy week with another PB, finishing 8th in the 200m Final (23.84s).

Summary of Key UTS Norths Results