From Olympic finalist Connor Murphy to World Under 20 champion Delta Amidzovski and showman Yual Reath, the second instalment of the Australian Athletics Short Track Championships has attracted the nation’s top talent to Melbourne this weekend.
The one-day championships will host 60m and 60m hurdle events, along with high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump and shot put – underscoring Australian Athletics’ commitment to elevating domestic competition opportunities in the absence of an indoor track.
Triple Jumper Connor Murphy (NSW, Andrew Murphy) will headline the action in the field after a strong season opener of 16.30m at the Capital Athletics State Championships, returning to the scene of his 16.82m personal best at Lakeside Stadium.
The Olympic finalist will take on Aiden Hinson (VIC, Chloe Stevens) who is working back towards his 16.72m career-best, while Izobelle Louison-Roe (NSW, Karen Roe) will be one of the main attractions in the field.
The World Under 20 silver medallist soared over 1.95m in the high jump last month, five centimetres higher than ever before, qualifying for both the 2026 Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Under 20 Championships.
Olympic high jumper Yual Reath (VIC, Mike Barber) will bring some flare to Melbourne as he opens his 2026 campaign officially, with the Ballarat landscaper owning 2.30m credentials and qualifying for his first global final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
World Under 20 long jump champion Delta Amidzovski (NSW, Becky Amidzovski) will feature twice in the four-hour program, contesting the 60m hurdles and long jump, returning as the defending champion in both events.
The 19-year-old will have her work cut out for her in the form of Olympians Michelle Jenneke (NSW, Bronwyn Thompson) and Brooke Buschkuehl (VIC, Russel Stratton) in their respective events, ready to step up to the challenge in her transition to the senior ranks.
The race to be crowned Australia’s fastest athletes over 60m will be led by a resurgent Jai Gordon (QLD, Jacqui Gallagher) and Ebony Lane (QLD, Christopher Dale) who hold the top seed marks at 6.59-seconds and 7.26-seconds, with challengers including Taylah Cruttenden (WA, Russell Mathanda) and Archer McHugh (VIC, Catherine Woodruff).
A pair pole vault showdowns feature four men who have jumped over 5.50m and four women with 4.20m clearances to their names, headlined by Aiden Princena-White (NSW, Zsuzsanna Olgyay-Szabo) and Olivia Gross (WA, James Fitzpatrick) at 5.53m and 4.35m respectively.
Princena-White’s battle for the Australian title is unlikely to be smooth sailing with the presence of Dalton Di Medio (VIC, Mark Stewart) as a 5.51m man, while teenagers Daisy Brayshaw (WA, Lauren Ramsden) and Jamison Harding (VIC, Mark Stewart) will continue their quest towards the 2026 World Athletics Under 20 Championships.
The 2026 Australian Athletics Short Track Championships will be held on February 7 at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium, with the first event to commence at 3:30pm AEDT.
Full entry lists can be found HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 5/2/2026
