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Australian, Oliver “Ollie” Hoare received the Bruce McAvaney Australian Athletics Performance of the Year Award.

Hoare’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games 1500m gold-medal performance is cited as the event that made him a candidate.

During the final, Hoare sat in fourth place as the leaders were moving into the final bend. He kicked hard down the straight unleashing a furious sprint to win in the time of 3:30.12. In doing so, Hoare defeated 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot (3:30.21) from Kenya and defending world champion Jake Wightman (3:30.53) from Scotland.

The performance broke the Commonwealth Games record of 3:32.16, which was a world record when it was set by Tanzania’s Filbert Bayi at the 1974 Christchurch Games. Hoare’s name has joined the hallowed Australian legend along with the great Herb Elliott. Elliott won gold during the 1960 Rome Olympics in the same event. He is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist once each in the mile run and 880-yard event.

Hoare also ran well during the Diamond League Bislett Games in June 2022 clocking an Australian and Oceania record 3:47.48 mile performance when he finished second to Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Referring to the Commonwealth Games gold medal performance Hoare said, “When I look back on that performance, it’s still so surreal to me.”

“To have achieved gold and to be part of the legacy in the 1500m in Australia means a lot and I’ve been looking back on it fondly.

“To be able to say I ran a Commonwealth Games championship and won gold like Herb Elliott did, and then with Bruce [McAvaney] commentating it is amazing.

“I can’t stress enough how lucky I feel to have done it for Australia.

“It’s a moment I will always look back on and treasure.”

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