Charlie Hunter (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who specializes in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

. Hunter competed in the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...

. He came fourth in his Men's 800m heat with a time of 1:45:91. He qualified for the semi-final where he finished seventh and therefore was eliminated.

Early years

Hunter grew up on the

NSW Central Coast The Central Coast is a peri-urban region in New South Wales, Australia, lying on the Tasman Sea coast to the north of Sydney and south of Newcastle. The local government area of the Central Coast Council has an estimated population of 333, ...

. From an early age he enjoyed swimming and surfing rather than running. He played football and rugby at school and then joined

Little Athletics Little Athletics is an Australian activity program that involves modified athletics events for children aged 3 to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory); 3 ...

as an under-9. Hunter graduated from high school in 2014 and concentrated on his running. He won the national U20 1500m during his gap year. In 2017, as a 21-year-old, Hunter applied for a scholarship at

the University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in the USA. As he was now a mature student the process took a long time. Finally after 18 months he got the scholarship and made the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

1500m final in his first season (2019).

Collegiate career

In 2021, Hunter won the NCAA DI 800m Championships, running for the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. At this meet, he set two Australian indoor records in just 24 hours. He broke his own national record for the indoor

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...

when he ran 3:53.49, then he broke the 800-metre indoor record with a 1:45.59 run, bettering

Joseph Deng Joseph Deng (born 7 July 1998) is an Australian middle-distance runner. In 2018, he broke the 800-metre Australian record (which had stood since the 1968 Mexico Olympics) and five years later bettered the record again to 1:43.99. Deng also r ...

's time of 1:47.27 set in 2019. On 22 June 2021 Hunter ran the second quickest 800-metre time ever by an Australian and claimed the third place on the Australian 800m team for the delayed

2020 Summer Games The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

when he ran 1:44.35 at a meet in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. He came just 0.14 seconds short of Deng's national record time of 1:44.21, set in Monaco in 2018.

Professional

Hunter represented Australia in the junior race at the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

Guiyang Guiyang (; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), historically rendered as Kweiyang, is the capital of Guizhou province of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, ...

, China, placing 106th in 28:28 over 8 km. In December 2021, Hunter signed with Nike, Inc. and moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

, to train with coach Pete Julian's group (formerly Nike Oregon Project) Union Athletic Club.The former Nike Oregon Project changes team name to Union Athletic Club - After Salazar's dismissal, the group remained intact through the past three years under coach Pete Julian
''Running Magazine Canada'' Marley Dickinson December 17, 2021

References

External links

Oregon Ducks bio
* *
Charlie Hunter bio

Athletics Australia Athletics Australia is the national sporting organisation (NSO) recognised by Sport Australia for the sport of athletics in Australia. First founded in 1897, the organisation is responsible for administering a sport with over 16,000 registere ...

Loads of Quality: How Charlie Hunter Trains
August 19, 2021 ''Runner's Tribe'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Charlie 1996 births Living people Australian male middle-distance runners Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes Oregon Ducks men's cross country runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Australia Sportspeople from Gosford Athletes from New South Wales Sportspeople from Brisbane Australian male cross country runners Australian male long-distance runners 21st-century Australian people Sportsmen from New South Wales