Masters Athletes to Watch at the Oceania Athletics Championships

The Masters competition at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin will once again show why athletics across Oceania is unlike anywhere else. Olympians, Pacific pioneers and athletes who found the sport later in life will all share the same stage at Arafura Stadium.

Papua New Guinea’s Sharon Toaka enters the Championships as one of the Pacific’s leading javelin throwers. The PNG national record holder in the women’s javeli, Toaka is competing at her first Oceania Masters Championships while still active at senior national level. At 33 years old, she represents a new generation of Pacific athletes beginning their Masters journey while still competing at a high level.

Australia’s Lee-Anne Nelson continues to set the standard in Masters athletics. A familiar name across Oceania and World Masters competition, Nelson recently broke the WMA Decathlon World Record in the W50 age category at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships. Her consistency across track and field events has made her one of Australia’s standout Masters athletes for many years.

Few athletes in Oceania athletics are more recognisable than Samoa’s Shaka Sola. The Olympian and Oceania medallist spent more than two decades competing internationally in the throws and became a cult figure within the sport for his personality and presence. He returns to the Oceania stage in Darwin competing alongside members of his own family, continuing a legacy that stretches across generations of Pacific athletics.

Rachael Dorsy-Laing brings another powerful story from Papua New Guinea. Competing in the women’s sprints at 64 years old, Dorsy-Laing discovered Masters athletics later in life and has since represented PNG on the world stage. Her journey through Masters sport has become an inspiring reminder that there is no age limit on finding a new passion.

Australia’s Justin Anlezark also returns to the circle with a decorated international career behind him. A multiple Olympian, Commonwealth Games representative and former Oceania champion in the shot put, Anlezark remains one of Australia’s most accomplished throwers. His experience continues to have a strong influence on younger athletes coming through the sport.

They are over 100 Masters athletes set to compete in Darwin, with competitors aged from 30 through to nearly 90 taking part across the Championships. Watch the in action at Arafura Stadium.

IMAGE: AthleticsNT

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