Evidence shows Aboriginal Australians participated in a range of athletics events, prior to colonisation of Australia. When British colonists arrived from 1788, they brought with them the concept of athletics competition.[3]
The earliest known athletics competition in Australia was in Sydney, in 1810, where Dicky Dowling won a 50 yards sprint, while the first amateur athletics club was formed in Adelaide, South Australia in 1867.[3]
Professional athletics
The Australian gold rush of the late 19th century attracted huge populations to Australia and many (professional) athletics events were conducted at the gold-fields, with the 'gift' of a gold nugget to the winner.[3] This 'pro' tradition continues today, with the Stawell Gift, Australia's premier professional foot-race, a highlight of the sporting calendar.[4]
The Australasian Athletics Union of Australasia was formed in 1897 to govern the sport, with combined Australian and New Zealand teams representing at the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games.
In 1928, New Zealand withdrew from the Union to form their own national association and the Amateur Athletics Union of Australia became the peak-body for athletics in Australia. The Australasian Championships now became Australian Championships, with official women's events held from 1930.
Early women's athletics
Female participation in women's athletics at the turn of the 20th century was usually restricted to 'picnic' meets where ladies races were conducted, along with egg-and-spoon races and other carnival events.[6]
In late 1906, at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, the first women's 'state championship' was run, with Loyal Forward winning the 50 yards sprint and invitational 100 yards. Though these events were held during a professional meeting, Richard Coombes, President of the men's Amateur Athletics Union, considered the prizes awarded were compliant with amateur rules.[6]
A Sydney Ladies amateur athletics club was formed by Mrs Drennan, herself a sprinter, in 1913, and competitions, held under the auspices of the NSW men's association were conducted over the next five years. Professional races for women were also very popular during this time.[6]
Amateur unions
From 1928, the Amateur Athletics Union of Australia, had responsibility for track and field in Australia, including women's athletics with women's events being held, for the first time, at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. The first joint National Championships were conducted in Melbourne in 1930.[7]
In 1932 an Australian Women's Amateur Athletics Union was formed which administered women's track and field in Australia and held its own national championships until 1978. An amalgamation of men's and women's bodies occurred in 1978 and, in 1989 this combined association was renamed as Athletics Australia.[3]
Combined annual national championships have been held since 1978.[8]
Athletics Australia
Currently, Athletics Australia works with its affiliated state bodies and the Australian and State Institutes of Sport to assist athletes achieve a high standard of performance.[9]
Australia is one of the few countries who have entered track and field athletes in every Olympic Games. At the first Olympics, in Athens in 1896, Victorian runner, Edwin Flack won both 800 metres and 1500 metres events.[10]
The most bemedalled Australian athletes at the Olympic Games have been for men Stan Rowley and Jared Tallent (with three) and for women Shirley Strickland (with seven).[10]
The Commonwealth Games began as the British Empire Games in 1930 and Australian athletes have competed at every edition since, with female representatives from 1938.
Australia's best performed male athletes at the 'Friendly Games' include John Treloar, Herb Elliott, and Gary Honey, with walker Nathan Deakes the most successful, winning four gold and one bronze medal during his career.[11]
The IAAF approved meets at Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne comprise the most important athletics meetings held in Australia, with Australian athletes required to compete in order to gain international selection.[23]
State championships
Each Australian state or territory holds its own state athletics championships annually.[24]
Other events
Inter-varsity athletics competitions were conducted in Australia from the late 19th century. Since 1993, the Australian University Games have presented an annual multi-sport event.[25] Athletes studying at tertiary institutions are eligible to compete in the bi-annual World University Games.
Training and development
National training facilities for top level athletics competitors exist at the Australian Institute of Sport and support both Olympic and Paralympic competitors.[26]
World records
The first Australian to set a ratified world record was Triple JumperNick Winter at the 1924 Paris Olympics, with the first official female record-holder Decima Norman, who equalled the 100 yards world record in New Zealand, in 1939.[27]
Distance runner Ron Clarke is still the most successful Australian athlete in terms of setting world records, with seventeen official records from Two-Miles to the 'One-Hour run' between 1963 and 1968. Pole VaulterEmma George is the most successful female Australian record-breaker, setting eleven world records from 1995 to 1999.[27]
Nathan Deakes set the most recent world record in Australia, at Geelong on 2 December 2006 when he recorded a time of 3-35.47 for the 50 km walk.[27]
Other famous athletics world records set in Australia include:
State Athletics Stadium, Western Australia. Opened in 2009 to replace Perry Lakes which had been built for the 1962 British Empire and a Commonwealth Games.
A large number of tracks originally established for athletics have since been converted to use by other sports:
