There are few who fly under the radar as much as Australian athlete Claudia Hollingsworth.
The humble 20-year-old is part of the golden-age record 88 Australian athletes that will start at the World Athletics Championships, beginning on Saturday in Tokyo.
The Olympic semi-finalist has been building all year for the championships, last month smashing the Australian 800m record at the Silesia Diamond League in a time of 1 minute, 57.67 seconds, bringing down Catriona Bisset’s mark from two years ago.
That run also placed her 14th for the year among the women’s 800 metres, and saw a world lead, another national record, and five other personal bests among a star-studded field of competitors.
“I feel like [the] sky is the limit,”
Hollingsworth said.
“Having Abbey [Caldwell] there and giving each other a hug after the race was really special,” she said of breaking the Oceania record.
“And to get the record was amazing, and being in such a huge [stadium], with the crowds so big was great atmosphere and a great place to do it.”
With the depth in Australian athletics, it’s no surprise that Hollingsworth — who already has a silver medal from the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships — will be joined by an Aussie cohort of Abbey Caldwell and Jessica Hull in Japan.
“I think it’s awesome. We’ve pushed each other to these fast times,” Hollingsworth said.
“And I think it’s great seeing how many girls are running 1:58 or sub, and I know we can all go a lot quicker, and we’re going to do that by helping each other.
“Seeing other people race just as fast and maybe faster is really motivating.
“The last few races have given me a lot of confidence going into the world champs, reiterating that I’m up there with the best in the world.“
Such is the depth in track running that Sarah Billings (1:57.83), Georgia Griffith (1:59.22), Bendere Oboya (1:59.27) and Tess Kirsopp-Cole (1:59.95) have all broken through the sub-2 minute mark this year, while Bissett (former record holder) missed out on selection.
Such is the pressure on the global stage, that no Australian woman has ever made the final in the 800m at the World Championships, with Caldwell falling agonisingly short by .06 seconds in the semi-finals at the last championships.
Internally, the expectations for the youngest of them all, Hollingsworth to use the European summer and go to another level at Tokyo are high.
“Competing in those Diamond Leagues, putting yourself in those fields where they will be either in the final or at least the semi-final and, practising racing against those girls,” she said.
“Each learning experience has really helped.”
Hollingsworth doesn’t shy away from the pressure she places on herself, looking to the future of her career.
“Going to LA, and Brisbane, making an Olympic final and medalling or being on the podium is a huge goal for me.
“I think a little bit [that the] sky’s the limit. I’m going to the world champs, with I guess, expectations on myself, but also just to go out there and see how far I can go.
“I just want to take it race by race and each day by day in training, and I’m sure those goals will slowly start getting ticked off.
“The experience I get from Craig [coach Craig Mottram] is sort of unmatched and I try listening, take as much of that on board as I can.”
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Master and apprentice deal with pressures
A four-time Olympian, Mottram has been coaching Hollingsworth since she was 12 and says her development on and off the track is different to other athletes he’s coached.
“I think she’s got a very strong personality; she’s very resilient, she’s grounded, she has a great family,” Mottram said.
“She’s got an exceptional ability — physically and mentally — to perform at the highest possible level, but in doing so keeps things very realistic and has a good time doing it.
“She’s shown me a lot around the development of a young athlete, keeping a balance in life, having a home life and keeping consistency with things that you love doing.
“You can do all of that and still be one of the best in the world.”
Mottram, who still holds the Australian men’s 5,000m record set in 2004, knows what the pressure is like to be ahead of the pack, guiding Hollingsworth with a trusted relationship that has been built from hard work, frank conversations and understanding.
“We’ve had a few sit-downs over the years where we’ve spoken about expectations and what the sport of athletics is like, and what it’s like in school versus what it’s like internationally on a global scale,” he said.
“I’ve obviously had a lot of experience through my 17–18 years of running at a high level.
“So sharing that with her I think gives her the knowledge and understanding that she can obviously go on and do it, and it gives a little bit of comfort.
“But also knowing the world of sport and athletics in particular has changed a lot — when I was running, records were not broken as frequently as they are at the moment.
“So I think it’s just part of the development of our sport. And for Claudia in particular, I think she’s broken her first record recently and she’ll break many more to come.“
Despite all the success in Hollingsworth’s young career, Mottram said what he sees on the track is only second to life off the track for the prodigy.
“Running in my opinion, is second to her as a person.
“I think if she keeps true to that she’ll be fantastic and will do great things.”
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Jellybeans the keys to success for high-achieving family
As Hollingsworth gets a rare moment back on home soil, she embraces all that got her there — her family.
“I’ve come from a family that’s just always told us to try our best and try everything,” Hollingsworth said.
“I remember Dad saying when we joined high school, just give everything a go and give it your best shot.
“I think just having that attitude towards everything in life has really driven me and given me that determination and sort of expectations on myself.
“But if things don’t go to plan, then [showing] that resilience to try again and not give up.”
From a twin sister, Gemma, who’s been on stage for musicals such as Legally Blonde and on TV screens on The Voice, to another sister Sunday, a trampolinist on the global stage, both have helped show Claudia a pathway to taking on the world in her own way.
“It’s not like a pushy family or anything like that. We all drive ourselves, so it’s not really coming from Mum and Dad,” she said.
“[They’re] just there to support and give us a hug at the end of the day.”
Those hugs from Mum started with packed lunches growing up, where extra jellybeans were snuck in for a boost for swimming meets, athletics carnivals or “just a bad day at school”.
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From there it stuck as a superstition, especially orange, purple and red flavours.
“I started having three or four jellybeans before every cross-country race and I just couldn’t stop,” she said.
“Maybe it’s a good luck charm. It’s fuel, it’s energy. Getting any sort of lollies in before the race is important … I take a few bags overseas.“
After attending a training camp in Cairns, Hollingsworth now turns her focus to performing in the green and gold again, with heats beginning on Thursday, September 17 in the evening, and aiming for the breakthrough into the final on the Sunday night, October 21.
“Yeah, it’s amazing. I feel so grateful and passionate every time I get to wear the uniform,” Hollingsworth said.
“It’s such an honour, and to know you’re representing your whole country, it’s not something everyone gets to do. When you get to do it, it’s just incredible.
“On the start line, you feel like you have a responsibility and a job to do for the country.
“You want to make everyone proud and everyone watching.
“So yeah, it’s just a lot of pride and excitement and I can’t wait to get out there and see what I can do.”
www.abc.net.au (Article Sourced Website)
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