Hometown heroes Jacob Despard and Arielle Cannell will spearhead the local charge at the Hobart Track Classic on February 28, welcoming the return of an Australian one-day athletics meet to Tasmania for the first time in a decade.
The World Athletics Continental Tour – Bronze meet is set to attract Australia’s premier athletes and host the 2026 Australian Athletics 3000m Championships, but the biggest applause of the night may belong to Tasmania’s own, with Despard and Cannell two of the first names to confirm their start.
An Olympic sprinter and key member of Australia’s 4x100m outfit, Despard owns a 10.15-second personal best and has been a staple on the domestic sprinting scene, but few things would mean more to him than a win on home soil in the Men’s 100m.
“Having the Track Classic back in Hobart is huge! If I think back to when I was a junior, the Briggs Classic was my introduction to the circuit and travelling around Australia,” Despard said.
“Of course I want to win in my hometown. Hopefully the Domain gives us a nice little tailwind off the river, the sun comes out and we get some nice Hobart conditions.”
Set to race against Australia’s best, Despard expects the night to be an athletics showcase welcomed by thousands of Tasmanian sports fans.
“It’s great for the locals and the Tasmanian community to see world-class athletics in our hometown. To be able to come home in the shape that I’m in at the moment and put on a show for them is something I’m really excited for,” Despard said.
A rising hammer thrower who has dominated junior competitions and enters as the reigning Australian champion, Cannell will work towards qualifying for the 2026 World Athletics Under 20 Championships this August.
After years of flying around the country and bringing home gold, the 17-year-old is looking forward to an opportunity to compete in her backyard:
“There’s a first for everything! It will be great to compete with my home crowd behind me, and for my family and friends to have an opportunity to watch such a big competition held in Tassie,” Cannell said.
“This is also a really good chance for me at a young age to be up against the best of the best, which will hopefully push and inspire me to reach my goals. I’m focusing on my technique at the moment, so fingers crossed for a PB.”
The last national one-day athletics meet in Hobart was held at the 2016 Briggs Athletics Classic, with the meet still home to the Australian Women’s 200m record set by Melinda Gainsford-Taylor in 1994, and other notable meet records held by Catherine Freeman, Sebastian Coe and Jane Saville.
The 2026 Hobart Track Classic will be hosted on February 28 at Domain Athletics Centre.
Tickets can be purchased HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 19/1/2026
