Aussie women shine on world stage with Diamond League podiums
Gout Gout has lifted athletics to a place in the Australian sports consciousness where it hasn't been for more than 50 years.
But the teen tyro won't be doing the heavy lifting alone, with a gaggle of track and field athletes excelling on the world stage.
Victorian Sarah Billings became the second-fastest Australian woman over 800m over the weekend when she finished second in the Shanghai Diamond League in a personal best time.
Her 1min 57.83sec behind Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma (1:56.64), made her the only Aussie woman beside two-time Olympian Catriona Bisset to break the 1:58 barrier for the distance after crossing just 0.05sec outside Bisset's national record.
It was a second Diamond League podium in a row for Billings, who was third in the 1000m at the opening Diamond League round of the year in Xiamen.
The breakthrough campaign of Sarah Billings has rolled on at the Shanghai Diamond League which saw her become the second fastest Australian woman in history over 800m, finishing in second place as high jumpers Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson also landed on the podium ðŸ'ŽðŸ'¥â€¦ pic.twitter.com/X6ukB1HXmT
— Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) May 3, 2025
The 27-year-old, who has already qualified for the 1500m at the world championships in Tokyo later this year, heeded the advice of coach Nic Bideau, stepping on the gas in the final laps and waiting for gaps to open down the straight.
'Today I had a really clear race plan, I just wanted to go really hard at 300m (to go),' Billings said.
'My coach Nic told me this morning that gaps open up with 100m to go on the inside and to watch for it; I watched for it and some opened up.
'I have been picked for the World Championships in the 1500m already so that's still the main goal, but I think that (800m) was pretty close to the national record, so I'm just really happy.'
High jump duo Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson also stepped on to the podium in second and third place respectively, only bettered on the night by world record holder and Olympic champion, Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
Olyslagers cleared 1.98m on her second attempt to separate herself from Patterson who finished with 1.95m.
Mahuchikh was the only woman in the field to clear 2m, with a clean sheet to 2.00m, where Olyslagers missed all three attempts before the Ukrainian lifted the bar to 2.03m, missing her attempts.
'The competition today was a big improvement from last week (Xiamen Diamond League), I enjoyed it,' Olyslagers said.
'Today I had courage and I am thankful for that.
'This is the first time I have started my season a bit later, so every jump of course I want to be over 2m and getting personal bests but I have great faith that God will get me ready. I don't worry about the past, I just go forward.'
In other results, pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall (5.72m) was fourth behind Olympic champ Mondo Duplantis, who set a meet record 6.11m, while Mackenzie Little was ninth in the javelin and Liam Adcock seventh in the pre-program long jump.
On the track, South Australia's Matthew Clarke was 10th in the 3000m steeple chase, while rising Queensland middle distance runner Jude Thomas was 16th in the 5000m in his Diamond League debut.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Young Nipper makes history for North Cott SLSC
A 13-year-old champion surf lifesaver from North Cottesloe is making waves across the country after taking home multiple medals from this year's Australian championships — something his coach said is 'unheard of'. Edward Wallis made a big splash at his first 'Aussies' in Queensland earlier this year, where he claimed two individual silver medals in sprints and flags events, was part of North Cott's triumphant U13 beach relay team and landed a bronze as part of his club's U13 mixed beach relay team. He backed up all that success on the Queensland sand by being named Nipper of the Year at Surf Life Saving WA's annual awards last month. Your local paper, whenever you want it. His coach for the past four summers, Renee Gibbs, said Edward's national achievements in his final year as a nippers competitor were a huge moment for the club. 'The Aussies are a lot more competitive than the State comp ... there's something like 5000 competitors in the Australian titles every year over in Queensland,' Mrs Gibbs said. Edward Wallis made a big splash at his first 'Aussies' in Queensland earlier this year. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / Perth Now 'Edward got four medals at Aussies, which is unheard of really. It's an unbelievable result. 'And the team also won gold in the rally, which was one of the very first gold we've had, so it was a really amazing moment.' Edward praised his teammates for their success in the challenging conditions that Queensland threw up, which included event delays. 'It was in pretty difficult weather conditions and there were a lot of strong competitors from other States,' Edward said. 'WA has some strong runners and our North Cott relay team got gold, which was really fun to race in.' Edward is just five years into surf lifesaving, having first joined the North Cott SLSC after his parents thought it would be a good idea to build some water sense. I love competing. I do get nervous, but it is heaps of fun racing so I always look forward to the carnivals 'Nippers is such a great way for them to gain more experience in the water and have fun at the same time,' Edwards' father Jayden Wallis said. 'It's been an enjoyable outlet for Ed and he is keen to keep pursuing the sport into the senior ranks.' Next summer Edward moves up from Nippers to the cadet program at North Cottesloe, where he will look to attain his surf rescue certificate and compete in more carnivals. 'I love competing. I do get nervous, but it is heaps of fun racing so I always look forward to the carnivals,' he said. 'I'm really looking forward to being able to do patrols, train and compete again next year.' Mrs Gibbs and her husband have coached North Cottesloe nippers for several years to help youngsters with their beach safety and to foster WA's surf life saving community. 'Joining a surf club is all about being part of a team ... it's really nurturing, really supportive and just a fun kind of environment,' she said. 'And that's something Edward really understands ... I think he loves that it's not all about him, you know, it's actually about the club and the team.'
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Postecoglou loses Tottenham job but keeps his pride
Ange Postecoglou will walk away from Tottenham Hotspur with his pride and his reputation intact and his place in the club's heritage assured after an eventful two-year stint in north London. Ending the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League made sure of that. The Australian delivered on his claim of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club, but few could have envisaged the circumstances in which it happened. From the ruins of a nightmarish Premier League season, Tottenham ground out a backs-to-the-wall victory against one of the worst Manchester United sides in decades with a display at odds with the club's 'to dare is to do' motto. Earlier in the season, after Tottenham beat United 4-3 in a rollercoaster League Cup quarter-final, Postecoglou railed against studio pundits who criticised his expansive style. "Are you not entertained?! What do you want? Do you want a scrambly 1-0? The studio's probably going into meltdown over my lack of tactics but I love the fact we go out there and take it to opposition," he bristled. A few months later, Tottenham did just that, beating United 1-0 with a messy goal and a second half display in which they had 19 per cent of the ball and barely crossed the halfway line. Postecoglou had only to point to the euphoric scenes in the stadium to answer those who sneered at Tottenham's glory night. In a parallel universe it could have heralded the ignition point for a Postecoglou dynasty at Tottenham, just as Manchester United's 1989 FA Cup win did for Alex Ferguson. Instead, it just marked the end of another brief chapter in the club's history, albeit a memorable one, as he became the fifth full-time manager to be sacked in little over five years. When Postecoglou arrived in 2023 with his swashbuckling 'Ange-Ball' style he seemed the perfect fit for a club worn down by the joyless reigns of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Twenty six points from his opening 10 Premier League games in the 2023-24 season was more than any other manager in his first season in the competition, eclipsing the likes of serial title winners like Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. It was Tottenham's best start to a top-flight season since their last title-winning campaign in 1960-61. Then the wheels fell off. His 11th game, at home to Chelsea, offered an early clue as to what would become his eventual downfall. The mood was ecstatic as Spurs scored early but then they suffered two big injuries and were reduced to nine men by the 55th minute when Destiny Udogie joined Cristian Romero in receiving a rash red card. Even two players down, and with the score at 1-1, Postecoglou insisted his team play a high defensive line and go for goals and, while it was compelling viewing, they eventually subsided to a chaotic 4-1 defeat. That loyalty to his attacking philosophy was admirable and earned him staunch support amongst the club's fans, but it also exposed a lack of tactical pragmatism. Tottenham limped to fifth in Postecoglou's first term, securing continental football in the Europa League, and there were high hopes that his second season would see him mould a team capable of mounting a title challenge. Instead, Tottenham endured their worst top-flight season since they were relegated in 1977, ending in 17th place with 22 defeats and 65 goals conceded. There were mitigating circumstances. A chronic injury list took out central defenders Romero and Micky van de Ven, strikers Dominic Solanke and Richarlison and keeper Guglielmo Vicario for long periods and with no danger of relegation he put all his eggs in the Europa League basket. He will also argue that the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Mikey Moore promise a bright future. He will not, however be the one to benefit with chairman Daniel Levy deciding that the Europa League triumph was the anomaly, rather than the 22 league defeats. The biggest criticism of Postecoglou was that his insistence on high defensive lines and playing out from the back, even when the players obviously could not execute it, exposed the team's soft underbelly and made them easy to beat. Relegated clubs Leicester City and Ipswich Town both beat Tottenham whose only league win in their last 12 games was against woeful bottom club Southampton. Yet set against their Premier League slide, Postecoglou conjured a parting gift for the long-suffering fans and they do not care how it was achieved. He leaves having changed the narrative around the club but whether the it can seize the moment and build a sustained challenge for regular silverware remains to be seen.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Aussie coach Peters seeks redemption for Hull KR
The pain of recent history will weigh heavily on the mind of Australian coach Willie Peters as he plots a path to Challenge Cup final glory for his Hull Kingston Rovers side. Peters has the lingering memories of Rovers' heartbreaking 2023 final loss to Leigh to erase, not to mention a 40-year trophyless streak to explode as his side look to live up to their deserved billing as heavy favourites for Saturday's showdown with Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium. The 46-year-old Sydney-born Peters has told his players, who top the Super League, to embrace the weight of expectation that comes with being the domestic game's pre-eminent force. The club have scarcely looked back since Lachlan Lam's drop-goal denied them their long-awaited triumph in 2023. They were runners-up to Wigan in last October's grand final, four days after Peters had been named Super League coach of the year. East Hull has been awash with reminders that it is four decades since the Robins last lifted major honours, and Peters, who has immersed himself in the club and its community since he arrived as a relatively little-known head coach in 2023, is under no illusions about what a win would mean. "I don't think about what it would mean for me, but I think it about the effect it will have on our club," said Peters, who played halfback for the likes of South Sydney and St George Illawarra before taking up assistant coaching roles with Manly, South Sydney and Newcastle. "The people involved can be legends of this club for a long time, so that excites me. What would excite me would be being in a WhatsApp group for the next 30 or 40 years with the guys who won a Challenge Cup, and being able to come back and meet up. "We are a community club. I have always said our sole aim is to make our community proud, and we have got the chance to do that this weekend." Peters admitted glancing back at certain aspects of the 2023 final but has resisted plunging into the negative emotions that followed that loss, pointing out his side's ability to shrug it off almost immediately and finish their domestic campaign on a high. "I've watched some segments of the (2023) final because I know what I want to use this week, not so much about the emotions but around different actions in the game," added Peters. "If you talk about where you want to go, I believe that's a stronger emotion, so that's what I will be tapping into." Peters' opposite number, Sam Burgess, will also be on a mission at the London final, where Warrington will be attempting to erase memories of last year's miserable 18-8 final defeat by Wigan. But his side have been ravaged by injuries this season and languish in eighth place in the Super League. The pain of recent history will weigh heavily on the mind of Australian coach Willie Peters as he plots a path to Challenge Cup final glory for his Hull Kingston Rovers side. Peters has the lingering memories of Rovers' heartbreaking 2023 final loss to Leigh to erase, not to mention a 40-year trophyless streak to explode as his side look to live up to their deserved billing as heavy favourites for Saturday's showdown with Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium. The 46-year-old Sydney-born Peters has told his players, who top the Super League, to embrace the weight of expectation that comes with being the domestic game's pre-eminent force. The club have scarcely looked back since Lachlan Lam's drop-goal denied them their long-awaited triumph in 2023. They were runners-up to Wigan in last October's grand final, four days after Peters had been named Super League coach of the year. East Hull has been awash with reminders that it is four decades since the Robins last lifted major honours, and Peters, who has immersed himself in the club and its community since he arrived as a relatively little-known head coach in 2023, is under no illusions about what a win would mean. "I don't think about what it would mean for me, but I think it about the effect it will have on our club," said Peters, who played halfback for the likes of South Sydney and St George Illawarra before taking up assistant coaching roles with Manly, South Sydney and Newcastle. "The people involved can be legends of this club for a long time, so that excites me. What would excite me would be being in a WhatsApp group for the next 30 or 40 years with the guys who won a Challenge Cup, and being able to come back and meet up. "We are a community club. I have always said our sole aim is to make our community proud, and we have got the chance to do that this weekend." Peters admitted glancing back at certain aspects of the 2023 final but has resisted plunging into the negative emotions that followed that loss, pointing out his side's ability to shrug it off almost immediately and finish their domestic campaign on a high. "I've watched some segments of the (2023) final because I know what I want to use this week, not so much about the emotions but around different actions in the game," added Peters. "If you talk about where you want to go, I believe that's a stronger emotion, so that's what I will be tapping into." Peters' opposite number, Sam Burgess, will also be on a mission at the London final, where Warrington will be attempting to erase memories of last year's miserable 18-8 final defeat by Wigan. But his side have been ravaged by injuries this season and languish in eighth place in the Super League. The pain of recent history will weigh heavily on the mind of Australian coach Willie Peters as he plots a path to Challenge Cup final glory for his Hull Kingston Rovers side. Peters has the lingering memories of Rovers' heartbreaking 2023 final loss to Leigh to erase, not to mention a 40-year trophyless streak to explode as his side look to live up to their deserved billing as heavy favourites for Saturday's showdown with Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium. The 46-year-old Sydney-born Peters has told his players, who top the Super League, to embrace the weight of expectation that comes with being the domestic game's pre-eminent force. The club have scarcely looked back since Lachlan Lam's drop-goal denied them their long-awaited triumph in 2023. They were runners-up to Wigan in last October's grand final, four days after Peters had been named Super League coach of the year. East Hull has been awash with reminders that it is four decades since the Robins last lifted major honours, and Peters, who has immersed himself in the club and its community since he arrived as a relatively little-known head coach in 2023, is under no illusions about what a win would mean. "I don't think about what it would mean for me, but I think it about the effect it will have on our club," said Peters, who played halfback for the likes of South Sydney and St George Illawarra before taking up assistant coaching roles with Manly, South Sydney and Newcastle. "The people involved can be legends of this club for a long time, so that excites me. What would excite me would be being in a WhatsApp group for the next 30 or 40 years with the guys who won a Challenge Cup, and being able to come back and meet up. "We are a community club. I have always said our sole aim is to make our community proud, and we have got the chance to do that this weekend." Peters admitted glancing back at certain aspects of the 2023 final but has resisted plunging into the negative emotions that followed that loss, pointing out his side's ability to shrug it off almost immediately and finish their domestic campaign on a high. "I've watched some segments of the (2023) final because I know what I want to use this week, not so much about the emotions but around different actions in the game," added Peters. "If you talk about where you want to go, I believe that's a stronger emotion, so that's what I will be tapping into." Peters' opposite number, Sam Burgess, will also be on a mission at the London final, where Warrington will be attempting to erase memories of last year's miserable 18-8 final defeat by Wigan. But his side have been ravaged by injuries this season and languish in eighth place in the Super League.
