It was only a few years ago Hayley Kitching, 21, started focusing on athletics seriously in her hometown of Coffs Harbour in New South Wales.
When she was 16 it was all about basketball, but a campaign to make it to the U20 World Junior Championships in Colombia in 2022 set her on her way.
Thankfully for Australian athletics Kitching (NSW, Ryan Foster) decided to focus solely on running and the 800m event and she has gotten better and better ever since.
“I started a bit later than most and I went back and forth whether I enjoyed running or not,” she told Australian Athletics.
“My parents were both runners and we had always been a super active family and they encouraged me to get out there and give it a go.
“As I got a bit older, I realised it was something I really enjoyed doing so I decided to go all in on track, and it’s been a roller coaster ride ever since.”
That roller coaster ride is getting faster and faster and showing no sign of slowing down.
This year she has been one of the stars of the NCAA athletics meets in the United States, running for the prestigious Penn State Track and Field Team.
In June at the famous Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Kitching ran a time of 1:57.65 in the 800m at the NCAA Championships, to be the third fastest Australian in history behind Sarah Billings (VIC, Nick Bideau) and Jessica Hull (NSW, Simon Hull).
Billings broke the Australian record last weekend at the Paris Diamond League, running 1:57.01.
This weekend Kitching will make her own Diamond League debut at The Prefontaine Classic, back at the track in Eugene she loves so much and ran so fast just last month.
Billings’ week-old record may be under serious threat in Eugene.
The field features British superstar Keely Hodgkinson who has openly said she is trying to break the previously untouchable world record of Jarmila Kratochvilova of 1:53.28.
That record is the oldest track record in the sport, standing since 1983.
Along with Hodgkinson, Switzerland’s Audrey Werro is also gunning for it.
The rest of the field at the Prefontaine Classic is seriously stacked with six of the top 10 ranked women according to World Athletics are competing.
Rather than being nervous about her first Diamond League race and the calibre of the field, Kitching has nothing to lose and can’t wait.
“I’m super excited about it, it wasn’t on my 2026 Bingo Card,” she said.
“I got the call up a couple of weeks back and I couldn’t say no.
“Let’s let it rip!”
After finishing High School in Coff’s Harbour she made the decision to continue her running in the college NCAA system in the United States.
It was a life changing decision for her and she hasn’t looked back.
“Being surrounded by like minded athletes has played such a huge role for me with my athletics,” she said.
“Living in Coff’s Harbour I was in the middle of nowhere, just me and the Big Banana, and I didn’t have a lot of training partners.
“So to come over to the US and just being able to train with a really talented group of girls has definitely pushed me with my athletics, and mentally as well.”
The past year Kitching found all the hard work and training has really paid off in spades.
“It’s been an amazing year,” she said.
“Everything in training has been clicking for me, I’ve been hitting the splits and feeling confident about that.
“I’m just really excited my times have come down like they have.
“For a while my times weren’t really reflecting what I’ve been feeling and knowing what I can do.
“So dropping a time like I did last month in Eugene is a great feeling for sure.”
She is excited at being part of what really is a golden age of Australian runners in the middle distances.
“It’s literally amazing,” she said.
“Australian middle distance runners, the calibre has popped off the past few years.
“It’s just a great group of girls.
“Everyone is so like minded and really wants to push each other to do better.
“Seeing Sarah break the Australian record was so exciting for me.
“We all want each other to be great, we all want to get faster and to have that experience together is amazing.”
If athletes are interested in following the NCAA route like Kitching, Australian Athletics has more information HERE.
By Luke Dennehy, Australian Athletics
Posted 1/6/2026
