Catriona Bisset

Catriona Bisset (born 1 March 1994) is an Australian middle-distance athlete and national record holder in the 800 metres.

Catriona Bisset
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1994-03-01) 1 March 1994[1]
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia[2]
EducationUniversity of Melbourne[3]
Sport
SportMiddle-distance running
Event(s)800 metres
Coached byPeter Fortune[4]
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Australia
Summer Universiade
2019 Naples 800 m
Oceania Championships
2019 Townsville 800m
World Relays
2019 Yokohama Mixed 2 × 2 × 400m

Career

Early years

Born in Newcastle and raised in Canberra, Bisset participated in Little Athletics from age 6.[2][5] She displayed potential as a youth, but withdrew from competition for several years as she improved her mental health.[3][4][6] During her undergraduate studies at the University of New South Wales, she began training with University of Sydney head coach Dean Gleeson.[5][7] She resumed racing in 2016.[1] The following year, Bisset moved from Sydney to Melbourne, and Gleeson introduced her to Peter Fortune, best known as the coach of 400m athlete Cathy Freeman.[7][8]

Breakthrough season

Bisset rose to national prominence in 2019. After improving her personal best throughout the domestic season, she won the 800m at the Australian Track & Field Championships in 2:00.48.[9] One week later, she ran 1:59.78 at the UniSport National Championships to become the first Australian woman in a decade to break the two-minute barrier.[8]

In May, Bisset was selected for her first national team, representing Australia at the 2019 World Relays. She and Josh Ralph placed second in the first-ever mixed 2 × 2 × 400m.[10] Bisset went on to win the 800m at both the 2019 Oceania Championships[11] and 2019 Summer Universiade.[12]

Bisset made her Diamond League debut at the London Grand Prix in July, where she placed second behind Lynsey Sharp.[13] Her time of 1:58.78 set a new Australian record, surpassing the 43-year-old record set by Charlene Rendina, and qualifying Bisset for the Tokyo Olympics.[14] Two months later, she competed at the 2019 World Championships, but was hampered by injury and did not progress beyond the heats.[15]

2020–21

Bisset did not race internationally in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, this allowed her to continue aerobic training and fully recover from injury.[16]

In the 2021 domestic season, she performed at a high level, including a second Olympic qualifier of 1:59.12 to win at the Queensland Track Classic in March.[17] She also successfully defended her 800m national title, officially securing her place on the Australian Olympic team.[18]

On her return to the European circuit in June, Bisset improved her national record at the Janusz Kusociński Memorial with a time of 1:58.09 (which broke the Oceanian record set by Toni Hodgkinson in 1996).[19]

At the Tokyo Olympics, Bisset ran 2:01.65 in the women's 800m heats, narrowly missing her chance to advance.[20] She ended her season in September by competing in her first Diamond League final, running 1:59.66 for 7th at Weltklasse Zürich.[21]

Personal life

Bisset is studying a postgraduate degree in architecture and diploma in Chinese language at the University of Melbourne.[3] Her mother was born in Nanjing, China.[5]

References
  1. "Catriona Bisset". World Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  2. "Catriona Bisset". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. Dye, Josh (7 April 2019). "National title has rising star Bisset dreaming of Tokyo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  4. Gleeson, Michael (3 August 2019). "Australia's accidental track star". The Age. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  5. Landells, Steve (6 March 2020). "Winning her battles off the track, Bisset's rise continues on the track". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020.
  6. Buratti, Liana (12 September 2019). "Catriona Bisset - Running my own race". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. "From the Clouds – Catriona Bisset Interview". Runner's Tribe. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  8. Lisson, Ben (1 June 2019). "Catriona Bisset, Australia's fastest woman to run 800m in a decade, reveals hurdles off the track". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  9. "Bisset claims shock victory in 800m". SBS. 7 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  10. Himmer, Alastair (12 May 2019). "First blood for USA at action-packed World Relays". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  11. "Bisset, Ralph win Oceania 800m titles". SBS. 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  12. Salvado, John (22 July 2019). "Bisset smashes Australian 800m record". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  13. MacInnes, Paul (21 July 2019). "Dina Asher-Smith proud to finish second in 100m final at London Stadium". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  14. "Australian record for Catriona Bisset leads the way for Australia at the London Diamond League". Athletics Australia. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019.
  15. Salvado, John (28 September 2019). "McSweyn charges into world 5000m final". Seven News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019.
  16. Johnson, Len (21 March 2020). "With competitions on hold, flexibility is key as athletes continue to pursue their 2020 ambitions". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
  17. Gleeson, Michael (28 March 2021). "Browning quickest man ever in Australia, now for 100m in Tokyo". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021.
  18. Houston, Michael (19 April 2021). "Stevens, Hall and Bisset among Australian athletics additions to Tokyo 2020 team". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021.
  19. "Australia's Catriona Bisset breaks national 800m record ahead of Tokyo Olympics". ABC News. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  20. "Athletics - Round 1 - Heat 5 Results". Tokyo 2020. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021.
  21. Chadband, Ian (10 September 2021). "Barber, McSweyn shine in Diamond finale". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021.


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