Rising middle-distance star Angus Hincksman has set a new world record to kick-start the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships, as Mia Scerri emerged in pole position of the heptathlon with a breakthrough opening day.
The 20-year-old Paralympian Hincksman (SA, Philo Saunders, T38) won bronze at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships but today produced the fastest time ever in his classification when clocking 3:46.71 in the able-bodied Men’s 1500m Heats.
“You have the checklist of career goals you want to achieve. At the top is the gold medal at the World Championships and Paralympic Games, and a world record feels like a step in the right direction,” Hincksman said.
“It’s nice to do it at the National Championships! It’s what everyone puts on the calendar and looks forward to, so it’s nice to get it done at such a prestigious event.”
Taking down fellow Australian Reece Langdon’s world record of 3:46.83, Hincksman set up an enticing showdown in tomorrow night’s Men’s 1500m Para Final where they will go head-to-head.
“Reece and I definitely have a rivalry on the track, there’s never much talking pre-race,” Hincksman said.
“Off the track, he’s a great guy and I’ve known him since I was 16. We have spent a lot of time together on training camps and on teams, and I love racing him.”
Heptathlete Mia Scerri (VIC, Ralph Newton) produced her biggest ever day one score to lead Olympians Tori West (VIC, Eric Brown & Sam Leslie) and Camryn Newton-Smith (QLD, Ralph Newton & Gavin Hunter) through four events, leaping over a career-best 1.81m in the high jump and throwing 14.69m in the shot put.
Finishing the day on 3783 points to lead by 114 points, the 21-year-old announced herself as a national contender.
“I’m so stoked! I always want to start strong in the heptathlon and carry it into the next day,” Scerri said.
“I knew I was in good form but it doesn’t always mean you will put it all together. I didn’t think I would be in the lead, hopefully the PB’s carry over to tomorrow but I’m sure it will be pretty close.”
World Para Athletics Championships representative Cooper Robb-Jackson (NSW, Greg Smith, T38) impressed in the Men’s 400m Ambulant with a 54.30-second showing for 90.84 points on the BASELINE system, while Michael Mayne (VIC, Alwyn Jones, T38) leapt to 6.17m (+1.3) to take out the Men’s Long Jump Ambulant.
The first-round action was led by Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull (NSW, Simon Hull) and World Under 20 record holder Cameron Myers (ACT, Dick Telford) who breezed through an uneventful set of 1500m heats, which also saw fellow contenders Claudia Hollingsworth (VIC, Craig Mottram) and Adam Spencer (VIC, Tomasz Lewandowski) advance to tomorrow’s finals.
In the field, javelin thrower Mackenzie Little (NSW, Angus McEntyre), hammer throwers Lara Roberts (QLD, John Frazier) and Stephanie Ratcliffe (VIC, Dale Stevenson), and triple jumpers Desleigh Owusu (NSW, Andrew Murphy) and Aiden Hinson (VIC, Chloe Stevens) secured automatic qualifying performances for their respective finals.
Full results from the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships can be found HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 9/4/2026
