Two-time Olympian Georgia Griffith has made headlines in Melbourne by smashing the national women’s 1000 metres record during the Box Hill Burn event on Thursday night.
Australia’s track star from the Tokyo Olympics, Peter Bol, narrowly missed the national men’s 1000m record, falling just two tenths of a second shy.
Competing on her home ground, Griffith registered a time of 2:34.50 at the unassuming meet in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, surpassing Abbey Caldwell’s previous record of 2:34.63, which was set in Switzerland in 2023.
Griffith took command of the race just 400 metres in, overtaking Israel’s Shanie Landen and eventually winning by a staggering margin of over six seconds.
American competitor Eleanor Fulton finished in second place with a time of 2:41.17, while Ireland’s Nadia Power came in third, clocking 2:44.11.
In addition to her latest feat, Griffith also holds the national record for the 3000m, having set a time of 8:24.20 in Norway just a few months prior to last year’s Paris Olympics.
Georgia Griffith during her record-breaking run at Melbourne’s Box Hill Burn. Steve Alder-Goad, AGD Images
Meanwhile, Bol, coached by Justin Rinaldi from Fast 8 Track Club, won the men’s 1000m event at the Box Hill Burn in a time of 2:16.29, just shy of Jeff Riseley’s national record of 2:16.09, set in 2014 in the Czech Republic.
In a post on Instagram, Riseley acknowledged that Bol’s outstanding performance means his record is now “definitely on borrowed time.”
Griffith’s coach, Nic Bideau from Melbourne Track Club, remarked on her impressive progress.
“This shows she’s in excellent form,” Bideau told Wide World of Sports. “In training, she and training partner Sarah Billings have been operating at a level higher than ever before.”
Georgia Griffith competing at the Paris Olympics. Getty
“We didn’t really talk about records; I just knew she was aiming for a fast time,” he continued. “From her training, I believed she was capable of this performance.
“She’s always had speed, but when she joined us in 2022, she wasn’t fit enough for the endurance training that the other girls in our group were completing. Now, she is, and it’s thrilling to see her potential unfold.”
Griffith will be targeting the 1500m at the upcoming world indoor championships in China this month, as well as the world championships in Tokyo in September.
The 28-year-old is also set to compete for the national 3000m title at the Sydney Track Classic next Saturday evening.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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