Abbey Caldwell Makes History with Breakthrough Bronze
Abbey Caldwell has made a significant mark in Australian athletics by becoming the second-fastest woman in the country’s history over 1,500 meters. This achievement came after she secured a bronze medal at the Diamond League meet in Shanghai, China. Caldwell demonstrated her remarkable talent by shaving three seconds off her previous personal best, finishing the race in 3:56.12. She was just behind Ethiopians Birke Haylom (3:55.56) and Tsige Duguma (3:55.71).
Caldwell stood out among five Australian competitors in the final, edging out Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull, who finished sixth, as well as Sarah Billings, Claudia Hollingsworth, and Linden Hall. National record holder Hull led the race at the 1,200m mark, but a strong finish from Haylom and the rest of the top six saw them surpass Hollingsworth’s season-leading time of 3:58.09, set in March at the Box Hill Classic.
“I honestly didn’t think even mid-race it would be that good,” Caldwell said. “But to get a PB, I’m absolutely stoked. I knew I was very fit and I wanted to show that on the track. We have the luxury of coming off our domestic season in Australia and I knew I was race-ready. I just needed to put my training into a race and I executed that, so I’m very happy. To be on the Diamond League podium for the first time is the biggest bonus ever. It’s amazing.”
The 24-year-old athlete was one of three Australians to make it onto the podium on the first day of Diamond League competition for 2026. Kurtis Marschall, another standout performer, won the fight for second place in the men’s pole vault, clearing 5.80 metres behind Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis.
“Unfortunately, not many athletes jumped as high as they would have liked today,” Marschall said. “But it is so early in the season, everyone is grinding really hard. At this competition last year, I only jumped 5.70m, so I’m very happy with the result of 5.80m today. We are still in quite heavy training. As we move forward, we will just lighten the load, freshen up, and start feeling a bit better towards the end of the season.”
Other Australian Achievements in Shanghai
In addition to Caldwell and Marschall, Matt Denny also claimed silver in the men’s discus. He threw 67.54 metres with his last legitimate effort, but was outdone by Slovenia’s Kristjan Čeh, who achieved a remarkable 70.58 metres. Čeh became the first person to surpass 70 metres at the meet.
Back on the track, national champion Lachlan Kennedy reached the men’s 100m final, finishing fifth in 10.01 seconds. South African athlete Gift Leotlela took first place with a time of 9.97 seconds. Torrie Lewis (23.25) finished ninth in a competitive women’s 200m field. Jamaican star Shericka Jackson won the event in 22.07 seconds.
