Darwin awaits for Australia’s top athletics talents who are set to contest the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships from May 18-23, with Brooke Buschkuehl and Joshua Azzopardi among the first names announced to don the green and gold on home soil.
The Area Championships will provide a key qualification opportunity for the 2027 World Athletics Championships and fall within the qualification period for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, offering high stakes competition at the Arafura Stadium in the Northern Territory.
Australia’s Open team is the first to be announced today, with the Para-athletics and Under 18 lineups to follow next week, as World Championships medallist Mackenzie Little (NSW) leads the way for a team of youth and experience.
Just one example of the talent on display is the long jump duo of Brooke Buschkuehl (VIC) and Delta Amidzovski (NSW), with Buschkuehl winning her first national title as a mum earlier this month when defeating the World Under 20 champion Amidzovski by two centimetres in the final round.
The Darwin battle will be another chapter in their budding rivalry, but so too a steppingstone to the world stage in 2026 and beyond.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to put on the green and gold and compete in Darwin next month at the Oceania Championships,” Buschkuehl said.
“It’s always a privilege being announced in an Australian team, however this one feels that little more special after taking some time away from the sport throughout my pregnancy.”
Warm conditions will only aid Olympian Joshua Azzopardi (NSW) and Australian champion Georgia Harris (QLD) who lead a capacity sprinting contingent, with a pair of Trans-Tasman rivals awaiting in the form of Tiaan Whelpton (NZL) and Zoe Hobbs (NZL).
“I’m very keen for Darwin, I have never been there or raced there so excited to see what it’s all about,” Azzopardi said.
“I’ve heard the weather is very favourable during May, so that’s just an added bonus.
“It’s great to see the Oceania Championships heading somewhere which hasn’t had a major competition in as long as I can remember.”
Adding to the action in the field will be the strong high jump trio of Brandon Starc (NSW), Yual Reath (VIC) and Roman Anastasios (VIC), while Little leads the way for Lianna Davidson (NSW) and Mackenzie Mielczarek (VIC) in the javelin throw.
The Area Championships are held every two years and provide crucial global rankings points for Open athletes, along with valuable international competition experience for emerging athletes.
The 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships will be held at Arafura Stadium in Darwin from May 18-23.
AUSTRALIAN TEAM FOR THE 2026 OCEANIA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN:
100m – Georgia Harris (QLD, Paul Pearce), Ebony Lane (QLD, Christopher Dale), Chloe Mannix-Power (QLD, Brett Robinson)
200m – Mia Gross (VIC, John Nicolosi), Monique Hanlon (QLD, Luke Donatini), Lakara Stallan (NSW, Andrew Murphy)
400m – Ellie Beer (QLD, Brett Robinson), Alice Dixon (NSW, Katie Edwards), Mia Gross
800m – Victoria Cholsh (SA, Simon Moran), Jaylah Hancock-Cameron (QLD, Andae Kalemusic), Ashley Pernecker (NSW, Tom Ristuccia)
1500m – Jaylah Hancock-Cameron, Aiva Pinches (NSW, Tom Kitching), Izzy Thornton-Bott (NSW Ned Brophy-Williams)
5000m – Holly Campbell (NSW, Martin Cooper), Olivia Sivills (NSW, Linus Sivills), Izzy Thornton-Bott
100m Hurdles – Emily Britton (NSW, Mick Zisti), Michelle Jenneke (QLD, Bronwyn Thompson), Danielle Shaw (VIC, Nick Cross)
400m Hurdles – Sarah Carli (NSW, Abbie Taddeo), Marli Wilkinson (VIC, Daniel Bailey), Alanah Yukich (WA, Rose Monday)
3000m Steeplechase – Amy Cashin (VIC, Sean Cleary), Brielle Erbacher (QLD, Jody Erbacher), Cara Feain-Ryan (QLD, Ben Norton)
High Jump – Vanessa Apel (NSW, Michael Hamlyn-Harris), Evie Bosker (QLD, Greg Wilson), Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW, Karen Roe)
Long Jump – Delta Amidzovski (NSW, Becky Amidzovski), Brooke Buschkuehl (VIC, self-coached), Eleanor Cooney Hunt (VIC, Manfred Lewandowksi)
Triple Jump – Tiana Boras (VIC, Alwyn Jones), Izobelle Louison-Roe, Desleigh Owusu (NSW, Andrew Murphy)
Discus Throw – Ashlyn Blackstock (NSW, Dennis Knowles & Stuart Farrant), Taryn Gollshewsky (QLD, Les Kuorikoski), Anika Gosling (WA, self-coached)
Hammer Throw – Lauren Clark (NSW, Lawrie Barclay), Emma Keleher (TAS, Evan Peacock), Stephanie Ratcliffe (VIC, Dale Stevenson)
Javelin Throw – Lianna Davidson (NSW, Angus McEntyre & Don Babbitt), Mackenzie Little (NSW, Angus McEntyre), Mackenzie Mielczarek (VIC, Michal Burian)
Shot Put – Xylavene Beale (NSW, Mike Barber), Emma Berg (VIC, Ashley Kovacs), Kaitlyn Coulter (NSW, David Bruce)
MEN:
100m – Joshua Azzopardi (NSW, Rob Marks), Rohan Browning (NSW, Jack Edwards), Jackson Rowe (NSW, Andrew Murphy)
200m – Rory Easton (QLD, Rajeev Balakrishnan), Christopher Ius (NSW, Andrew Murphy), Aidan Murphy (SA, Nik Hagicostas)
400m – Thomas Reynolds (VIC, Matthew Oakley), Luke van Ratingen (NSW, Ben Liddy), Aidan Murphy
800m – Degras Amekata (SA, Dylan Stenson), Luke Boyes (NSW, Ben St Lawrence), Tyler Gridley (SA, Brad White)
1500m – Kiran Tibballs (WA, Ben Green)
110m Hurdles – Sam Hurwood (QLD, Rajeev Balakrishnan), Mitchell Lightfoot (NSW, Andrew Murphy), Austin Little (NSW, Shaun Edwards)
400m Hurdles – Kyle Bennett (QLD, Chris Dale), Matthew Hunt (NSW, Ben Liddy), Ashley Moloney (Qld, Andrew Iselin)
3000m Steeplechase – Ben Buckingham (VIC, Craig Mottram), Liam Cashin (VIC, Peter Burke), Brendan Pospischil (NSW, Paul Byron)
High Jump – Roman Anastasios (VIC, Sandro Bisetto), Yual Reath (VIC, Mike Barber), Brandon Starc (NSW, Alex Stewart)
Long Jump – Alex Epitropakis (QLD, Stacey Taurima), Chris Mitrevski (VIC, Alex Stewart), Jalen Rucker (QLD, Mike Barber)
Triple Jump – Awan Akuen (SA, self-coached), Aiden Hinson (VIC, Chloe Stevens), Shemaiah James (QLD, Bronwyn Thompson)
Discus Throw – Daniel Di Giandomenico (QLD, Mike Barber), Darcy Miller (SA, Robert Melin)
Hammer Throw – Timothy Heyes (NSW, Peter Farmer), Benjamin Roberts (QLD, John Roberts), Damian Wells (NSW, Ernie Shankelton)
Javelin Throw – Howard McDonald (QLD, Ben Thomson), Cameron McEntyre (NSW, Angus McEntyre), Oscar Sullivan (QLD, Lukas Cannon)
Shot Put – Aiden Harvey (VIC, self-coached), Alexander Kolesnikoff (NSW, David Bruce), Robert Marchesi-Scott (WA, Leanne Marchesi)
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 23/4/2026
