Catriona Li Bisset (born 1 March 1994) is an Australian

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distanc ...

who specialises in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, 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 a ...

. She holds the Oceanian record for both indoors and outdoors in the event, and won the gold medal at the 2019 Universiade. Bisset has four individual Australian national titles.

Career

Early years

Born in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

and raised in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Bisset participated in

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 ...

from age 6. She displayed potential as a youth, but withdrew from competition for several years as she improved her

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

. During her undergraduate studies at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, she began training with

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

head coach Dean Gleeson. She resumed racing in 2016. The following year, Bisset moved from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, and Gleeson introduced her to Peter Fortune, best known as the coach of 400-metre sprinter

Cathy Freeman Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman (born 16 February 1973) is an Australian former sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman of all time, set while fin ...

2019: Breakthrough season

Bisset rose to national prominence in 2019. After improving her personal best throughout the domestic season, she won the

at the

Australian Athletics Championships The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athle ...

in 2:00.48. 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. In May, Bisset was selected for her first national team, representing Australia at the

World Relays The World Athletics Relays, known as the ''IAAF World Relays'' until 2019, is an international biennial track and field sporting event held by World Athletics where teams from around the world compete in relay races, some of which are not part o ...

. She and

Josh Ralph Josh or Joshua Ralph may refer to: *J. Ralph Josh Ralph (born 1975), known professionally as J. Ralph, is an American composer, producer, singer/songwriter and social activist who focuses on creating awareness and change through music and film. ...

placed second in the first-ever mixed 2 × 2 × 400 m relay. Bisset went on to win the 800 m at both the Oceania Championships and

Summer Universiade The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

. She made her

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions. The inaugural season was ...

debut at the Anniversary Games in London in July, where she placed second behind

Lynsey Sharp Lynsey Sharp (born 11 July 1990) is a former Scottish track and field athlete who competed in the 800 metres. She is the 2012 European champion and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She won a silver medal at the 201 ...

. Her time of 1:58.78 set a new Australian record, surpassing the 43-year-old record set by

Charlene Rendina Charlene Rendina (née Neighbor; born 18 December 1947) is a retired Australian athlete who specialised in sprint and middle distance events. Her personal best time of 1:59.0 (hand timed) in the 800 metres, set in 1976, remained the Australi ...

, and qualifying Bisset for the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. Two months later, she competed at the Doha World Championships in Qatar, but was hampered by injury and did not progress beyond the heats.

2020–21

Bisset did not race internationally in 2020 due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. However, this allowed her to continue aerobic training and fully recover from injury. 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. She also successfully defended her 800 m national title, officially securing her place on the Australian Olympic team. On her return to the European circuit in June, Bisset improved her national record at the

Janusz Kusociński Memorial The Janusz Kusociński Memorial ( Polish: ''Memoriał Janusza Kusocińskiego'') is an annual track and field meeting at different venues in Poland, in recent times at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland. The meeting was first held in 1954 i ...

with a time of 1:58.09, which also broke the Oceanian record set by

Toni Hodgkinson Toni Louise Hodgkinson (born 12 December 1971) is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. She represented her country at two Olympic Games and two Commonwealth Games, and currently holds the New Zealand woman's record in the 800 metres. Ea ...

in 1996. At the postponed

Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics may refer to: * 1940 Summer Olympics, Games of the XII Olympiad, cancelled due to World War II * 1964 Summer Olympics, Games of the XVIII Olympiad * 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an ...

in July, Bisset ran 2:01.65 in the women's 800 m heats, narrowly missing her chance to advance. She ended her season in September by competing in her first

final, running 1:59.66 for seventh at

Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich () is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it ...

. After the racing season, she began training with Linden Hall under the guidance of coach Ned Brophy-Williams.

2022

Bisset made her indoor debut at the

Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix The Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as Aviva Indoor Grand Prix, is an annual indoor athletics competition which was last held in mid-February 2023 at the Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, England. It is one of a handful of events to h ...

in February. She ran 1:59.46 for second behind Keely Hodgkinson, setting another national and Oceanian record in the process. She secured victories in the following two top-level World Indoor Tour meets, including the

Copernicus Cup Copernicus Cup is an annual indoor track and field competition which takes place in February at the multi-purpose sports and entertainment Arena Toruń in Toruń, Poland. The meeting is currently an IAAF World Indoor Tour Meeting. In 2019, the co ...

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

, where she defeated

Halimah Nakaayi Halimah Nakaayi (born 16 October 1994) is a Ugandan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800 metres. She is the 2019 World Champion at the event and won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Nakaayi is the current ...

. Later in March, Bisset placed fifth at the World Indoor Championships in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

with a time of 2:01.24. Back outdoors in Australia, she ran 1:59.83 to win her third consecutive national title. On the

circuit, she ran sub-two minutes in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

and

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, including a season's best time of 1:58.54 to finish third in Stockholm behind

Mary Moraa Mary Moraa (born 15 June 2000) is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, a bronze medal in the event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and a gold at the 2022 ...

and Hodgkinson. In the first round of the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

held in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

in July, Bisset was knocked to the track and spiked by a competitor. Nonetheless, she completed the race and was added to the semi-final field by the race jury. The following day, she ran with 11 stitches in her thigh and a swollen knee, but did not advance to the final. Despite her injuries, she competed at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in August, placing fifth in a time of 1:59.41.

2023

In February, Bisset ran three World Indoor Tour races, including another indoor sub-two minutes. Returning to Australia, she won the Brisbane Track Classic in 1:59.74. She then won her fourth national title in a meet record of 1:58.32, the fastest time by an Australian on home soil. In July, Bisset again lowered her national record to 1:57.78 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. At the end of her season, ''

Track & Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...

'' ranked Bisset seventh in the women's 800 metres, the first Australian to feature in the top-10 since Rendina in 1974.

2024

Bisset faced strong domestic competition for a place on the Olympic team. After failing to defend her national title, running 1:59.87 behind Claudia Hollingsworth,

Abbey Caldwell Abbey Caldwell (born 3 July 2001) is an Australian middle-distance athlete. She is the current national champion in the 800 metres and holds the Oceanian record in the 1000 metres. Career Caldwell begun running at five years old, and steadi ...

and

Bendere Oboya Bendere Opamo Oboya (born 17 April 2000) is an Australian athlete. She competed in the women's 400 metres event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Oboya competed in both the women's 400 meters and was a membe ...

, Bisset went on to run a season's best of 1:58.12 at the London Diamond League in July. She competed in the

2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, where she drew attention among Hong Kong citizens due to sharing the same Chinese name as the singer

Hacken Lee Hacken Lee (), is a Hong Kong singer, television host and actor, active since the 1980s. In 2013, Lee's song "House of Cards" swept multiple awards in many Hong Kong award ceremonies, including "World's Best Song" and "Broadcasting Index" in Metr ...

. At the end of her season, Bisset joined M11 Track Club in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, coached by Trevor Painter and

Jenny Meadows Jennifer Brenda "Jenny" Meadows (born 17 April 1981) is a retired British athlete. Her main event was the 800 metres although earlier in her career she also competed over the 400 metres. In the 800 m she won a bronze medal at the 2009 Wor ...

Statistics

International competitions

Oceanian and National titles

* Oceania Area Championships in Athletics **

: 2019 *

** 800 metres: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 ** 4 × 400 m relay: 2019, 2021

Personal life

Bisset studied a

postgraduate degree Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in China, many minority ethnic groups in China, as well as by various communities of the Chinese diaspora. Approximately 1.39& ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. Her mother was born in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

, China. Part of her schooling was at Melrose High School in the

Woden Valley Woden Valley () is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. The name of Woden Valley is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by James Murr ...

area of Canberra.

References

External links

* *
Catriona Bisset
at

Australian Athletics Australian Athletics is the national sporting organisation (NSO) recognised by Australian Sports Commission for the sport of athletics in Australia. Founded in 1897, the organisation is responsible for administering a sport with over 16,000 reg ...

Catriona Bisset
at Australian Athletics Historical Results * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bisset, Catriona 1994 births Living people Australian female middle-distance runners Australian Athletics Championships winners FISU World University Games gold medalists for Australia FISU World University Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 2019 Summer Universiade Olympic athletes for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Australian people of Chinese descent Athletes from New South Wales Sportswomen from New South Wales Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales 21st-century Australian sportswomen