Australia’s Glasgow-bound Para-athletics stars have stolen the show on the opening day of the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin, while long jumper Alex Epitropakis overcome a slow start to be crowned champion for the first time.
Epitropakis (QLD, Stacey Taurima) reigned supreme in his bid for a maiden Open title, leaping to 7.91m (+0.5) in a close contest with Jalen Rucker (QLD, Mike Barber) who produced a 7.83m (+0.7) performance.
The 20-year-old escaped early trouble to clinch the victory:
“The first two jumps were fouls, which made going into the third round tricky. I had to get one jump or I was out. I did a half speed run up and clocked out 7.91m, so I’m pretty happy with that,” Epitropakis said.
“I wanted to go over eight metres, but I’ll take that distance.”
World Championships bronze medallist Mackenzie Little (NSW, Angus McEntyre) fell short of a final-round miracle and third straight Oceania title in the Women’s Javelin Throw, but was rewarded with a seasons best of 60.18m as she builds towards a 2026 Commonwealth Games berth.
Little could only be topped by Kiwi rival Tori Moorby (NZL) who mustered a 60.40m effort in the second round to apply the pressure, while Lianna Davidson (NSW, Angus McEntyre) took bronze with 59.66m – leaving the podium separated by less than one metre.
“I’ve competed against Tori for a long time, lost back and forth over the years. She threw very well, I think she deserved the win,” Little said.
“I’m pretty happy actually to be throwing relatively consistently throughout this competition.”
Australia’s Para-athletics stars showed up in style in the 100m ambulant events, where Ullrich Muller (QLD, Stacey Taurima, T38) stole the show with a personal best of 11.13 (+0.8) for a score of 96.49 on the BASELINE system.
Paralympic medallist Mali Lovell (NSW, Katie Edwards, T36) was strong with a 14.43 (+1.6) showing and 94.80 points when finishing behind Danielle Aitchison (NZL, T36) who set a new world record, while Briseis Brittain (NT, Roger Chin, T38) delighted the local crowd with a personal best of 13.40-seconds.
Earlier in the day, the Women’s Long Jump Ambulant saw a series of personal bests across the field, with Telaya Blacksmith (NSW, Jacinta Doyle, T20) improving her Australian Under 20 record to 5.23m (+0.5) in the opening round.
The Commonwealth Games bound duo of Layla Sharp (NSW, Greg Smith, T38) and Sienna Newton (NSW, Kyle Newton & Andrew Murphy, T38) also impressed with leaps of 4.84m (+1.9) and 4.59m (+1.8) respectively, continuing their build towards Glasgow this July.
“I think five metres is close, I really want to get it in Glasgow! That would be my absolute dream,” Sharp said.
“I can’t wait and especially because we are with the able-bodied athletes as well, I’m looking forward to making new friends.”
Fresh off winning bronze in the Men’s 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays, Australia’s 400m men kept their cards close to their chest in the first round, with Aidan Murphy (SA, Nik Hagicostas) leading all qualifiers in 46.21-seconds over Thomas Reynolds (VIC, Matthew Oakley) and Luke van Ratingen (NSW, Ben Liddy), while Lex Revell-Lewis (NZL) will look to spoil the party in tomorrow’s final.
The smooth-moving Tate Van Camp (QLD, John Purcell) was forced to earn every metre of his Under 18 Boys 800m crown, taking the win in 1:51.48 when challenged by Oscar Wright (VIC, Brendan Dixon) who was valiant in 1:51.77. Meanwhile, Zoe St John (QLD) delivered a gun-to-tape win in the Under 18 Girls 800m in 2:07.39.
Adding to the middle-distance action, Helena Butler (QLD, Melanie Black) coasted to victory in the Under 18 Girls 2000m Steeplechase in a time of 6:49.34, adding the Oceania title to a season which has seen her emerge as a name to watch.
In the field, Ethan Gration (QLD, Marty Stolberg) flew higher than ever before when soaring over 2.09m in the Under 18 Boys High Jump to secure a four-centimetre personal best at just 16-years-old – clearing the bar on his third and final attempt.
The Oceania Athletics Championships are being at Darwin’s Arafura Stadium from May 18-23.
Full results can be found HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 18/5/2026
