Sarah Billings

BIOGRAPHY

A sprinter in her early teenage years, Sarah Billings has battled injuries in her early 20s, but now aged 27 has emerged as one of Australia’s best middle-distance runners, ranked in the top-5 Australian all-time for the 800m and 1500m.

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Sarah Billings competed in sprints during her early teenage years. As early as in the U14s at the Australian Championships she was winning medals (bronze in the U14s 100m in 2011). She ranged up to 400s where she also won medals. She dabbled in longer distances running a 2:18.1 800m aged 14. In 2016 she won the Australian U20 800m title and was selected for the World Juniors, where she made the semi-final. She also ran on the 4x400m relay. In 2017 she closed her junior career, defending her national junior 800m crown, and during the years set PBs of 2:05.77 (800m), 54.39 (400m) and 24.39 (200m, aged 15).

As a senior athlete she graduated up the ladder to 1500m and by age 21 had run 4:16.10 for fourth at the Australian Championships. Sarah was down to 4:12.78 in February 2020. Through the COVID years she was injured with a number of stress reactions and a rib issue.

Sarah remerged in early 2022 with PBs of 2:03.09 and 4:09.73. Similarly, in early 2023 there was more progression with lifetime bests of 2:01.66 and 4:08.32, along with 5th in the National 1500m. Late in the year she made her first senior Australian team for the World Road Running Championships where she competed in the road mile.

Her 2024 campaign saw a significant breakthrough going under two minutes and four minutes in the 800m and 1500m – just the fifth Aussie to achieve this feat. In the 800m after going 2:00.55 and 2:00.22, she skipped the 1:59s going 1:58.94. The 1500m was just as significant, a week after placing 4th in the National 1500m, competing at her Diamond League debut in Xiamen China, she clocked 3:59.59 – a seven second PB. With the depth in Australian middle-distance running, she was unable to secure a berth in the Australian team for the Paris Olympics.

In early 2025 Sarah was selected for the World Indoor Championships, placing 4th in her 800m heat. At Nationals she concentrated on the 1500m placing 2nd and being named in the team for the world championships. In May she headed to China for a series of Diamond Leagues with the highlight a one second 800m PB of 1:57.83, missing the Australian record by just 0.05 seconds. In June in Rome she trimmed her 1500m PB, clocking 3:59.24.

Her brother Jack Billings has played 172 AFL games for St Kilda and Melbourne.

@ 20 August 2025 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au