South Australian athletes taking on the world, Part 2

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES TAKING ON THE WORLD, PART 2

By Tyler Maund

South Australian athletes continue to represent the state proudly overseas, with the 2023 World Athletics Championships beginning in August among a number of competitions that see SA athletes take on the world’s best.  

Four South Australian athletes are set to represent Australia in this year’s championships in Budapest, Hungary, with Australia sending an impressive team of 67 athletes.  

Olympic distance-runner Isobel Batt-Doyle, sprinter Aidan Murphy, walker Olivia Sandery and Olympic steeplechaser Matthew Clarke are all competing at the championships beginning on August 19.   

Batt-Doyle, who was awarded South Australian Open In Stadium Athlete of the Year for the 2022-23 season, will represent Australia in the marathon. 

It will be the second international marathon for Batt-Doyle this year after competing in Japan’s Nagoya Marathon in March. Batt-Doyle ran a personal best of 2.27.54 in the Nagoya Marathon on her way to a 10th placed finish.  

Up and coming speedster Aidan Murphy will compete in the Men’s 200m following recent stints in Italy and France that reaped 4th and 5th placed finishes in the 200m.  Murphy continues to rise through the ranks of Australian athletics, following a brilliant 2022-23 that saw him crowned Open Male In Stadium and Brain Wyld Junior Athlete of the year.  

Olivia will take on the 20km Race Walk, she raced late last month on the 29 of July at the Spanish Championships with a time of 46:42.26 in the 10,000m Walk. 

Matthew Clarke will take to the track in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase following competitions in Hungary and Great Britain in recent weeks.  

Clarke also raced in Japan and Finland earlier in the year and returns to Hungary after a third-placed finish in the Men’s 3000m at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Birmingham. 

The 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games have just wrapped up in Trinidad & Tobago and three talented youngsters of South Australian athletics have represented Australia. 

Akeesha Snowden delivered a fantastic performance on Day 1 of the Games to secure a bronze medal in the Women’s T38 100m in a time of 14.53.  It continues a strong year for Snowden, who impressed many at the 2022-23 State Track and Field Championships earlier this year, with a state record performance in the Para Women 100m Final (14.30), breaking both the Open and U20 T37 record.   

Charlotte McAuliffe, who clinched her first Australian U20 title in April, made it through to the final of the 400m following a second-placed finish in her heat. Taking out 4th place, she just fell short of a bronze medal by 0.07 seconds with a time of 54.89. 

 
The next day putting on the green and gold once again for the mixed 4x400m, Charlotte helped the team in qualifying for the finals with a time of 3:30.45. Charlotte and the team then put together an outstanding performance and earnt themselves a bronze medal with a time of 3:26.23. 

Sprinter Andrew Maenda, who broke both the U18 (10.57) and U16 (10.79) state records in the 100m earlier in the year, made it through to the semi-finals, finishing fourth with a time of 10.82, but unfortunately missed out on a spot in the final. 

The Commonwealth Youth Games have offered a pleasant glimpse into the future for South Australian athletics and it’s an exciting time for this trio to get international exposure.  

Samantha Findlay has also recently represented Australia in the 20km race walk. Findlay delivered a 19th-placed finish in 20km race walk at the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China on August 5. 

Distance-runner Harrison Bagley was another South Australian athlete that competed at FISU World University Games, representing Australia in the half marathon.   

Bagley, who recorded a personal best at the distance in last year’s Melbourne Half Marathon (1.07.21) finished 28th in the event in Chengdu with a time of 1.11.05. This was a tough race for Bagley who pushed through to compete with a stress fracture. Bagley will not immediately return home to Australia, instead committing to six months of study in the UK and the US.  

Runner Caitlin Adams (Hills) is another South Australian athlete competing on the world stage, recording strong performances in Belgium and Great Britain over the past month. 

A second-placed finish in the Women’s 3000m at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Birmingham preceded a first-placed triumph in the Women’s 1500m at the Flanders Cup in Leuven, Belgium.  Adams also recorded a personal best of 15.24.97 in the 5000m in Vienna, Austria in June.  

Fellow South Australian runner Jack Atherton (Pembroke AC) has had a huge two-month period that has seen him compete in Austria, Great Britain and France.  

This included a third-placed finish in the Men’s 800m at the British Milers Club in Bracknell, with a time of 1.48.70 Atherton also set a personal best in his first-placed finish in the one mile event in Annecy, France.  

Runner Cael Mulholland is moving overseas to study through the NCAA. 

We congratulate all of our athletes who have achieved exceptional results in recent months while competing overseas and wish all the athletes with upcoming competitions the best of luck.