World record holder Hicham El Guerrouj retired long before Lucas Chis was born, but the 16-year-old Victorian has been sifting through the archives. Just two years after his first training session, Chis’ name is one that is only growing louder in the conversation of Australia’s emerging stars.
A breakthrough summer featuring personal bests of 3:43.70 for 1500m and 1:50.75 for 800m has made Chis a recognisable figure on the Australian athletics circuit, with his next goal to do the same for his name:
“You know the food quiche? It’s pretty much that,” Chis (pronounced Kish) says.
For most athletes of his age, the 2025 Australian Athletics Championships beginning in Perth today is the pinnacle event marked months in advance on the calendar, but so sweet has his success been that they serve as an encore to an already incredible season.
“The goal this weekend is to have fun because it has been a long season, but I also want to be able to execute properly. I want to be able to get to that last 200m and still have five or six gears left in the tank,” Chis says
“We have all seen what Australian athletes have been able to do on the world stage, and in the future I want to be one of those guys who is handed the baton to carry on.”
Times aside, Chis is as legitimate as they come. Tactically sound with a punishing kick and all the makings of a middle-distance star, you would not know that he was a slow starter in athletics. Recommended by a high school teacher and encouraged by his Mum, Chis went from “sitting at home doing nothing” to the call room with some of Australia’s biggest names.
“I only started running in 2023. Even now, I train by myself and my coach lives in Sydney. The sudden jump was a shock to my system. You get to a race and you see Cam Myers and Olli Hoare – the people you idolise are in the call room,” Chis says.
“It’s a good thing to chase in a way. It keeps you very humble and grounded because no matter what time you run, there is always that one person who can go faster than you.”
Coached by former Australian 10,000m record holder and Olympian Ben St Lawrence, Chis is out to complete the Under 18 Boys 1500m and 800m double in Perth, focusing on his own development with an emphasis on “growing competitiveness” in the coming years.
“Right now I prefer the 1500m. I really like the tactics and in my eyes it’s a prestigious event. I still enjoy the 800m, but it’s basically a two-lap sprint which isn’t very fun, especially after the race,” Chis says.
“It’s bittersweet that guys like Jakob [Ingebrigtsen] and Cam [Myers] have redefined what it means to have good times as a teenager. You can run a good time now, but it doesn’t get taken into perspective because Cam Myers and those guys have blown it off the scales.”
Rubbing shoulders with both Myers and Hoare at last week’s Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne where he clocked a career-best 3:43.70, the 16-year-old now returns to his junior rivals better for the experience.
“The atmosphere was electric in Melbourne! It was one of my favourite things to be a part of. I went into the race and when you don’t get them, you can get a bit upset but it’s a good thing that I am still hungry and want to push more and more,” Chis says.
And with the 2026 World Under 20 Championships are a big goal of his, Chis will continue his rapid rise inspired by the greats – including 1500m world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj:
“When I first started running, I always watched videos of El Guerrouj’s races. I love his running stride.”
The 2025 Australian Athletics Championships is the final stop of the Chemist Warehouse Summer Series, and is supported by the WA Government through Tourism Western Australia, Venues West and Athletics West.
Entries, schedules and live results are available HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 4/4/2025
