4 days ago
Rising 20yo star Claudia Hollingsworth shatters Aussie athletics record
Australian middle-distance runner Claudia Hollingsworth has shattered the women's 800m national record, achieving the feat during the Silesia Diamond League in Poland.
The 20-year-old Victorian, coached by former Australian champion Craig Mottram, crossed fifth with a time of 1:57.67.
That beat the previous national record — Catriona Bisset's 1:57.78 in 2023 — by 0.11s, with Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson from Britain taking gold.
Fellow Australian Abbey Caldwell finished sixth in 1:57.70, while Bisset crossed tenth at 2:00.64.
'It's pretty sick! To come down the home straight and not be sure but to look up at the big screen and see it was really exciting,' Hollingsworth said.
'To share it with Abbey and Catriona was so special, having three Aussies in a race like this is awesome.
'I got into this mentality that they are quick races now and if you want it to be quick, you have to be in it to win it.
'I'm trying to be more aggressive and try different ways of racing leading into (the world championships in) Tokyo because those heats are going to be quick leading into the semis and hopefully the final.
'I had a look at myself in the mirror the other week and said that I don't want to be predictable. I don't want to just sit in during races and do my classic 200m kick.
'I want to be able to do that no matter where I'm positioned and if that's up the front then I want to try that.'
Elsewhere, Australian Nicola Olyslagers won silver in the women's high jump with a 1.97m clearance.
Following a six-week hiatus, the dual Olympic medallist ended up on the podium alongside reigning world champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh from Ukraine, who cleared 2.00m on her second attempt.
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP ðŸ'ŽðŸ¤¯
At 20 years old, Claudia Hollingsworth has become the fastest Australian woman ever over 800m, racing to a new national record of 1:57.67 to take fifth place at the Silesia Diamond League and eclipse Catriona Bisset’s former mark of 1:57.78.
Fellow…
— Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) August 16, 2025
Congratulations Claudia Hollingsworth - new Australian Record in the 800m 🇦🇰ðŸ'šðŸ'›
The 20-year-old finished 5th in 1:57.67, dipping under Catriona Bisset’s national record of 1:57.78.
Olympic teammate Abbey Caldwell finished 6th in 1:57.70. #TeamAUS | @AustralianAths
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) August 16, 2025
Kurtis Marschall soared over 5.90m on his second attempt to finish equal-third in the men's pole vault alongside the Netherlands' Menno Vloon, with the duo bettered by Sweden's Armand Duplantis and winner Emmanouil Karalis from Greece, who cleared 6.10m.
'I had a bit of a tummy issue in the last couple of days, so to come away with a 5.90 on a scrappy day, I'm very happy,' Marschall said.
'We are going straight to Lausanne from here and hopefully we can get 10 centimetres higher.'
Meanwhile, 34-year-old Linden Hall notched a personal best in the women's 1500m with 3:56.39, while Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay won gold at 3:50.84.
The Diamond League series resumes next weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland.
