The Oceania Championships were held in Darwin, the capital of Northern Territory of Australia, where Aiden Murphy made his mark on the competition with his performances in long sprints.
The Oceania Athletics Championships, bringing together the two traditional powerhouses Australia and New Zealand along with the smaller island nations, took place in Darwin. In the event, which also included masters, para-athletics, and age-group competitions, Australia dominated the senior events as expected.
Aiden Murphy, who had attracted major attention with his performance in the relay team that broke a 42-year-old Oceania record at the World Relays short time ago, became the star of the championships in Darwin. Murphy stormed to victory in the 400 meters in 44.44, lowering the championship record by massive 1.4 seconds. Two days later, he also claimed victory in the 200 meters with a superb time of 20.05. The 23-year-old Aussie improved the previous championship record of 20.57, which had stood since 2015, by half a second.
Oceanian record holder Zoe Hobbs of New Zealand comfortably won the women’s 100 meters in 11 seconds flat. After her victories in 2019 and 2022, Hobbs claimed her third Oceania title in the event, once again underlining that she is the continent’s top sprinter.
Australian Olympian Michelle Jenneke broke the championship record in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 12.87, while Matthew Hunt, winner of the men’s 400m hurdles, became the first athlete in championship history to break the 50-second barrier with his 49.77 performance.
In the men’s javelin, three-time reigning Australian champion Cameon McIntyre captured the first continental title of his career with a throw of 80.53 meters. McIntyre had previously won silver twice at these championships.
In the women’s javelin, the title went to New Zealand Olympian Tori Moorby. As winning her second continental crown in a 14-year gap, Moorby denied Mackenzie Little a third consecutive victory. The two athletes were separated by only 22 centimeters in the result sheet.
The most exciting final of the championships came in the women’s long jump. Australia’s World U20 champion Delta Amidzovski battled Brooke Stratton-Buschkuehl for the gold medal. Buschkuehl jumped 6.70 meters to beat Amidzovski by just one centimeter. This gold medal marked the first international championship title of Buschkuehl’s career.
