Athletics Australia Media Release
For release: 4 August 2023
The rising stars of Australian track and field have stamped their authority on global athletics, with Reece Holder and Alec Diamond claiming the first medals for the Australian UniRoos at the 2023 World University Games overnight.
Queenslander Reece Holder (Queensland University of Technology, Sharon and Chris Dale) etched his name into the history books in China, securing a brilliant silver in the Men’s 400m, a meet record and an Olympic qualifier to match.
Blazing around one lap of the track, the Queensland University of Technology student clocked a swift 44.79 to firmly establish himself as Australia’s fifth-fastest quarter miler of all time and the fastest Australian over the distance in 17 years.
In a photo finish thriller, only 0.003 seconds separated the 20-year-old from the coveted gold, eventually won by Portugal’s Joao Ricardo Agostinho Coelho “It’s great to come out this season injury free and run four PBs in three months. I knew I was capable of good times but today exceeded all my expectations," Holder said.
"I am grateful for my support team especially both my coaches, Sharon and Chris and my family."
Claiming his second consecutive medal at the World University Games, Alec Diamond (Australian Catholic University, Zsuzsanna Olgyay-Szabo) took bronze after ten events of the decathlon. Scoring a total of 7812 points, the Commonwealth Games representative said he was proud to clinch third place, despite having gone into day two with a 39 point lead. “Despite not being one medal better than last time, it’s great to come away with another medal,” Diamond said.
Over the 10 events, Diamond achieved three season best performances including the 100m (10.99), 400m (48.77) and High Jump (1.96m), but was unable to hold the lead over the latter five events. The Australian was eventually defeated Czech Republic’s Vilem Stratsky, who claimed gold with 7925 points as well as Edgaras Benkunskas (LTU) who totalled 7879 points over the competition.
“There are some really positive signs heading into the next season. Thanks for the continued support from my coach Zsuzsa and everyone else that has helped me along the way.”
By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia - Full article
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About UniRoos
The Australian UniRoos is the team identity for all UniSport high performance teams representing Australia on the international stage at either a World University Championship, Summer, or Winter University Games.
About UniSport
The Summer World University Games is an international university sports and cultural event that is staged every two years in a different city. These games draw thousands of student-athletes together to compete, making it one of the largest multisport events in the world.
In 2023, the event will be held from 28 July – 8 August in Chengdu, China.
More information on UniSport: http://www.unisport.com.au/
For more information please contact:
Siobhan James
General Manager – International Program & National Leagues