For Bruce McAvaney and Tamsyn Manou, thinking about the year the Australian athletes had internationally in 2026 as the season comes to an end, one word comes to mind.
That word is very simple – joy.
It really has been a brilliant season for the Australian overseas, including in the 15-meet Diamond League season where Australia had two overall champions in Cameron Myers in the 1500m and Eleanor Patterson in the high jump.
The Diamond League also saw six Australian records, 12 victories by seven athletes and a remarkable 35 podium finishes.
Getting up in the middle of the night was an easy task for McAvaney, especially as the Australians were more visible than they have ever been in the Diamond League.
“It was a breakthrough year in a way, it was probably a consolidating year with what has happened in Australian athletics the past five years,” McAvaney said.
“It’s very exciting.
“The Diamond League also gave those rusted on devotees a football season.
“It was over 25 weeks or whatever it was, it was like following a football season.
“Not only do we have a summer series that is operating successfully, but we also now have an international season where Australians are represented in a meaningful and substantial way.”
For Manou, who like McAvaney is such a huge supporter of the sport and takes a keen interest in the early morning Diamond League meets, the way the Australians performed and the interest in their performances reminds her of the era leading up to the Sydney Olympics.
That interest is only going to grow as we lead into the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
“It’s reminiscent of the lead up 2000 Olympics, where you had Cathy Freeman being so visible,” Manou said.
“What we have with some of our athletes now, like Jess Hull, Matt Denny, Kurtis Marschall, Nina Kennedy and our high jump girls Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson, these athletes have such a great profile.”
Manou adds another name into that list, Cameron Myers, who at only age 20 had a breakthrough year which ended up with the Diamond League final win in Brussels, an incredible achievement for an athlete at the beginning of his senior career.
“I think he is sensational, and we can appreciate his journey too,” she said.
“He was a super talented junior, very mature for his age and he burst on to the scene and missed out on the Paris Olympic cycle.
“That can be really hard, and you see a lot of teenagers in similar positions who fall into a hole.
“But I love how he was able to go back with his team and work hard and come back even better.
“He is brilliant and such a good athlete, and I love how he learns every time he gets out there.”
McAvaney backs up Manou every step of the way when it comes to Myers.
Over the decades McAvaney has seen all the great Australian athletes come through, and he sees something very special in the young Australian runner.
“He has just turned 20 and won the final of the Diamond League, and he was meters in front of the current Olympic champion,” he said.
“Cam has gone from an exciting prospect, to an absolute gold medal chance in arguably one of the most prestigious and most competitive events in athletics.
“I think this has been a watershed season for Cam.”
Both McAvaney and Manou are also full of praise for the consistency of Hull, who ran over 25 races this year, finishing off a remarkable year with a silver at the World Athletic Ultimate Championships in Budapest nearly two weeks ago.
“For me it is the prolific consistency Jess has gone about her races that is so special, it’s incredible,” McAvaney said.
“I see athletes like Jess and Kurtis Marschall as pioneers for Australian athletes.
“Pioneers for others to follow, as they are in the coal face week after week.”
Manou thinks Hull is the perfect role model for young athletes and one of the reasons why there is currently so much interest in Australian athletics.
“She is such a fantastic athlete and very, very talented,” she said.
“I think what makes Jess so different, even when she slips into competitive Jess, she is such a kind hearted soul and genuinely happy for her fellow Australians.
“That is why she has resonated with so many young girls who are growing up and interested in athletics, because you see someone who is doing so well at their sport but still holding that kindness close to their heart and staying true to who they are.”
There is one thing for certain for Australian athletic fans, and that is the consistency of our high jumpers Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson.
“Their rivalry is intoxicating,” he said.
“Not only for Australian athletics, but for world athletics.”
Both McAvaney and Manou also acknowledged rising and established stars like Lachlan Kennedy, Rose Davies, Mackenzie Little and Abbey Caldwell for brilliant Diamond League seasons.
Now that the international season is over, our top Australian athletes are in well-deserved holiday mode, as they plan for what will be a huge year of athletics in 2027 including the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China in September.
It’s also a time for athletics fans and experts like McAvaney and Manou to enjoy a sleep in or two after a busy few months of early starts to watch our Australian athletes in action.
By Luke Dennehy, Australian Athletics
Posted 9/22/2026
