The world athletics championships begin in Tokyo on Saturday with Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout grabbing headlines, but the country's largest ever team of 86 athletes boasts considerable depth beyond the 17-year-old. Australia has never sent a bigger squad to a global meet, with 22 more athletes than in Budapest 2023.
Gout, seeded 16th in the 200m, has opted to skip the 100m and relays to focus on his favoured event, where he will face the likes of Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo. Fellow sprinter Lachlan Kennedy, who beat Gout in March but withdrew with a back injury, believes the teenager could reach the final. “He looks hungry, he looks ready,” said Kennedy, now a commentator for SBS.
In the men's 100m, Rohan Browning is Australia's best hope for a final. He ran 10.01s at the same Tokyo venue in 2021 and has changed coaches this year. No Australian woman has ever made the 100m final at a world championships, but 20-year-old Torrie Lewis – national record holder at 11.10s – is considered a strong contender after training with Dutch coach Laurent Meuwly.
Australia's medal prospects also include high jumper Nicola Olyslagers, discus thrower Matt Denny, and pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall. The team is without two Budapest medallists: walker Jemima Montag and pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, both injured. At the past two world championships, 11 Australians placed in the top eight, a measure of progress as the sport looks towards the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
