Claudia Hollingsworth Explained

Claudia Hollingsworth
Nationality:Australian
Sport:Track and Field
Event:800 metres, 1500 metres
Birth Date:12 April 2005
Birth Place:Melbourne, Australia
Height:1.66 m[1]
Pb:800m: 1:58.40 (Adelaide, 2024)NU20R
1500m: 4:04.45 (Adelaide, 2024)

Claudia Hollingsworth (born 12 April 2005) is an Australian athlete. In 2022, she became the Oceanic champion in the 1500 metres at 17 years old. In 2024, she became Australian champion and national under-20 record holder over 800 metres. At Paris 2024, she made her Olympic debut in the women’s 800m.

Early life

Hollingsworth was a student at Mentone Grammar and was a keen Australian rules football player, playing for the East Brighton Vampires and the Sandringham Dragons, and considered a future application to the AFL Women's draft process before deciding to focus on track and field athletics. Hollingsworth is coached by four-time Olympian and former world 5000m bronze medallist Craig Mottram.[2] [3]

Career

Hollingsworth was selected for the Australian team to compete in the 2021 World U20 Championships, but ultimately the team didn’t travel to Nairobi for the Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Hollingsworth was competing with Olympic standard athletes before she was sixteen years old.[5] In March 2021, Hollingsworth aged 15 ran the fastest ever time world wide for an U18 athlete in a 1000 metres race.[6]

Hollingsworth won the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships in the 1500 metres and was runner up in the 800 metres.[7] Hollingsworth was chosen to compete for Australia at the 2022 World Athletics Championships – Women's 800 metres. Due to her young age Hollingsworth could only choose one distance race to compete in, and chose the 800 metres over the 1500 metres, but stated her desire to race the longer distance at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships.[8]

In Canberra in March 2024, Hollingsworth ran her third consecutive Australian and area under-20 record of 1:58.81 for the 800 metres.[9] In Adelaide in April 2024, she ran 1:58.40 to win the Australian Athletics Championships 800 metres race, and set a new national under-20 record.[10] She competed in the 800 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024, reaching the semi-finals.[11] [12]

She won the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru in August 2024.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hollingsworth Claudia. olympics.com. 31 August 2024.
  2. News: Claudia's choice: teen star pauses AFLW dream for world athletics championships. Michael. Gleeson. 12 July 2022. The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 July 2022.
  3. Web site: Mentone Grammar Student Claudia Hollingsworth Has the Track and Field World Talking in the Countdown to the Tokyo Olympics. Heraldsun.com.au. 22 July 2022.
  4. Web site: Claudia Hollingsworth. Athletics.com.au. 22 July 2022.
  5. Web site: Brisbane Track Classic 2022 Oceania Athletics Association. Athletics-oceania.com. 11 April 2022. 22 July 2022.
  6. Web site: Australian record to Hall, Youth best to Hollingsworth - Result Wrap 7 March 2021 . Insideathletics.com. 7 March 2021. 22 July 2022.
  7. Web site: New Zealand and Australia battle for sprint dominance in Mackay . Worldathletics.org. 22 July 2022.
  8. Web site: Great experience for teen Hollingsworth. 22 July 2022. PerthNow.com.au. 22 July 2022.
  9. Web site: All-time lists rewritten in Japan and Aussie junior runs 1:58.81. 5 March 2024. Steve. Smythe. March 5, 2024. Athletics Weekly.
  10. Web site: Hollingsworth wins hottest race of the year, Mitrevski leaps to Paris. athletics.com.au. 14 April 2024. 14 April 2024.
  11. Web site: Women's 800m Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics. Watch Athletics. 8 September 2024. 5 August 2024.
  12. Web site: Australia names first Olympic athletics team members as Claudia Hollingsworth's breakout champs performance earns selection. abc.net. 14 April 2024. 14 April 2024. Dean. Bilton.
  13. Web site: Walaza storms to sprint double at World U20 Championships in Lima. World Athletics. 31 August 2024. 31 August 2024.