Reigning world high jump champion Nicola Olyslagers will headline a star-studded Australian athletics team at the world indoor championships in Poland on March 20-22.
Olyslagers will be chasing a rare three-peat, having won the two previous global indoor titles in 2024 and 2025, in addition to a first outdoor world crown in Tokyo last year.
Among her stiffest challengers will be countrywoman and 2022 world champ Eleanor Patterson, who also pocketed bronze at the Paris Olympics.
The team for the world indoors in Kujawy Pomorze also includes 2024 Olympics silver medallist Jessica Hull (1500m) and Kurtis Marschall, who recently became only the fourth Australian man to clear six metres in the pole vault.
Olyslagers ended 2025 as the world No.1 and was honoured as the female field athlete of the year by World Athletics.
"Last year was good as far as the awards and trophy component go, but there is still much more to go for. I've been trying to think like that, so I can be on fire for this season," Olyslagers said.
"You look back on the success of last year, then 2026 ticked over and it was like, put those trophies in the cupboard, get back to training and look ahead."
Last month at an indoor meet in France, Marschall finally joined Steve Hooker, Dmitri Markov and Paul Burgess as the only Australian members of the elite six-metre club.
"A lifelong goal of mine was just to clear that elusive six-metre barrier and finally, after attempting it around 45 times, I managed to do it," Marschall said.
"There's already been six guys over six metres this year, which is the most in history. It might even be the case that you jump six metres and miss out on a medal this year.
"If I can put myself in the position to jump as high as I can, I am definitely in medal contention."
AUSTRALIAN SQUAD
WOMEN
800m: Hayley Kitching. 1500m: Jessica Hull. 3000m: Linden Hall. 60m hurdles: Michelle Jenneke. High jump: Nicola Olsylagers, Eleanor Patterson
MEN
800m: Bob Abdelrahim, Peter Bol. 1500m: Adam Spencer. Long jump: Liam Adcock. Pole vault: Kurtis Marschall
