Australia’s campaign at the World Athletics Championships enters a pivotal third day in Tokyo, with pole vault star and world number four Kurtis Marschall leading the charge as he eyes the country’s first medal of the championships, And another six green and gold athletes are aiming for further finals and potential medals across a packed program.
While an action-packed first half of the day will ensue, attention will turn to the evening program and the men’s pole vault final where 2023 bronze medallist Marschall (WA, Paul Burgess) will soar into medal contention.
Fresh from the Diamond League circuit, with a number of podiums and 5.90m+ jumps this year, Marschall stands among the favourites for another podium finish, with an eye on becoming just the fourth Australian man and 31st man in global history to break the 6.00m barrier in his event.
“You can’t really give too much away in Pole Vault. Well, I give a fair bit away. I’m friggin’ smiling all the time, I have a terrible poker face,” Marschall said.
“I always knew it was probably going to take 5.75m to make a final. Last year, I got in with a clean 70 but I knew this year was going to be tough. I think it will take 5.95m to get on the podium. 5.90 might not get a medal, so I’m just going to let it rip, send it and go as hard as I can and try to be aggressive.”
With the gold medal already taken by the world famous Mondo Duplantis (SWE), after he broke his 13th world record this year at 6.29m, and Emmanual Kourallis (GRE) in contention for silver after joining the six-metre club this year, Marschall will be fighting for a spot on his second global podium, with USA’s Sam Kendricks fighting fit with two 5.90m jumps this year.
The Field event focus continues in the evening with world number five and Diamond League bronze medallist Liam Adcock (QLD) and Chris Mitrevski (VIC, Alex Stewart) seeking to advance through to the Men’s Long Jump final.
Despite both being eight-metre jumpers, the pair have had different journeys to the World Athletics Championships this year, with Adcock soaring in his breakthrough year while Mitrevski battled back to the top level, rebuilding after a herniated disk in his back disrupted his Paris Olympic campaign last year. Both jumpers narrowly missed out on the final in 2023, jumping 7.99m and will be out to grab their spots in the final.
Day 3 action begins on the streets of Tokyo with the Men’s Marathon, where World Athletics Championships debutants Tim Vincent (VIC, Jackson Elliott) and Liam Boudin (QLD, Collis Birmingham) navigate the championship test of heat, tactics and patience over 42.2km.
Both relative newcomers to the gruelling event, with only seven marathons between them and best times of 2:09:40 and 2:10.28, Tokyo will be about working smarter over the distance to try and cope with the stifling heat as Vincent and Boudin take on a field of 96 athletes from 47 nations. National record holder Andrew Buchanan withdrew late last week, due to a stress reaction in his femur.
Two Australians will feature in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase heats. Cara Feain-Ryan (QLD, Ben Norton) and Amy Cashin (VIC, Sean Cleary) bring strong form into Tokyo 2025. Continuing a sensational year that has seen her lower her personal best to 9:22.01 from 9:28.72 at the Paris Olympics, Feain-Ryan will be competitive amongst the 12-strong field in Heat 3, but will need to push herself against the likes of Germany’s Meyer, a 9:09.21 athlete.
Cashin too will have her work cut out for her in one of the toughest fields of the heats, facing 12 women who have clocked faster times than her 9:42.76 season’s best.
Olympians Sarah Carli (NSW, Abbie Taddeo) and Alanah Yukich (WA, Rose Monday) will race the Women’s 400m Hurdles Heats, with Yukich looking to replicate her efforts from Paris 2024 after progressing to the semi final on her Australian team debut.
Yukich faces a tough draw for her first World Athletics Championships, stepping into Lane 8, next to gold medal favourite and global athletics legend Femke Bol (NED, 50.95). With a personal best of 55.04 achieved this season, the Perth product is seeded ninth in her heat and will need to achieve a top-four finish to secure automatic qualification, or one of the fastest four times of non automatic qualifiers across five heats.
Illawarra local Carli, who achieved the automatic qualifying standard for the Tokyo World Championships with a personal best of 54.29 in April will need to wait until Heat 4 to show her speed and hurdling form, but as the fastest in the field this year, the two-time Olympian should advance to the semi-final with ease.
Catch all the Australian action at the World Athletics Championships live and free on SBS and the Nine Network.
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted: 15/9/2025
