Stewart McSweyn
 McSweyn winning the 2018 Burnie Ten | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1 June 1995 Launceston, Tasmania[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Education | La Trobe University, University of Southern Queensland | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1500 m, 3000 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Ferret Track Club | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Nic Bideau (Coach of Ferret Track Club) | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2017 3000 m steeple, 40th (h) 2019 5000 m, 12th 1500 m, 21st (sf) | ||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Stewart "Stewie" McSweyn (born 1 June 1995) is an Australian long-distance runner.[2] He was a finalist in the men's 1500 metres in the Tokyo Olympics, and has also been a World Championships and Commonwealth Games finalist in the 3000 metres steeplechase, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.
Career
Early years
McSweyn grew up on a beef and sheep farm on King Island (population ~1,600) in the middle of Bass Strait, south of Melbourne, Victoria.
There was no high school on the island, so he boarded at Ballarat in Victoria. Being away from home at a young age, he built resilience which helps him cope with being overseas for lengthy periods of time.[3] Up until he was 14 years old, he played cricket, tennis and Australian rules football, but he then decided to concentrate on athletics. At Ballarat, he was coached by Rod Griffin, middle- and long-distance runner Collis Birmingham, and his now training partner Brett Robinson.
McSweyn represented Australia at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships in the junior race, and in 2015 he ran the 5000m at the World University Games.[3]
International competition
Beginning in 2016, McSweyn started regularly competing on the international circuit.
He represented Australia in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2017 World Championships.
In 2018, McSweyn placed third in both the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase races at the Gold Coast Australian Championships in February. In April at the Commonwealth Games, McSweyn placed 5th in the 5000m final in 13:58.96 and 11th in the 10,000m final in 28:58.22, respectively.[4] At the Shanghai Diamond League meet, McSweyn placed 11th in the 5000m. He raced the 10,000m race at the Oslo Bislett Games in June and the 1500m in Germany, followed by Rabat Diamond League, where he placed third in a competitive 3000m field in 7:34.79. The time put him within two and a half seconds of Craig Mottram's Australian record in the event. He then raced in the London Müller Anniversary Games 5000m, finishing 12th. In August, McSweyn raced a mile at the Birmingham Müller Grand Prix, winning in 3:54.60. He then competed in the Rovereto Palio Città della Quercia in Italy, clocking 13:31.03 for 5000m. Notably, at the Bruxelles Memorial van Damme Diamond League Final, McSweyn achieved a 13:05.23 personal best over 5000m, finishing 12th in the race. Back on home soil in 2018, McSweyn rounded out his 2018 season by winning his second straight Melbourne Zatopek:10. His 27:50.89 brought him his second straight Australian 10,000m title.[4]
In December 2019, McSweyn broke the Australian record for 10,000m, running 27:23.80 at the Zatopek:10, his third successive national championship at the distance.[5]
In July 2021, McSweyn broke the Australian record for the mile, running 3:48.37, beating the record set by Craig Mottram in 2005 by 0.61 seconds.[6]
In August 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, his time of 3:31.91 in the 1500 metres earned him seventh place.[7]
In February 2023 at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, held in Australia, McSweyn achieved a bronze medal in the mixed relay, alongside Oliver Hoare, Jessica Hull and Abbey Caldwell.[8]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Australia
| |||||
| 2015 | Universiade | Gwangju, South Korea | 14th | 5000 m | 14:37.96 |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 40th (h) | 3000 m s'chase | 8:47.53 |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 5th | 5000 m | 13:58.96 |
| 11th | 10,000 m | 28:58.22 | |||
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 21st (sf) | 1500 m | 3:37.95 |
| 12th | 5000 m | 13:30.41 | |||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | 1500 m | 3:31.91 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 9th | 1500 m | 3:33.24 |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 24th (h) | 1500 m | 3:36.01 |
| 13th | 5000 m | 13:26.58 | |||
| 2024 | Olympic Games | Paris, France | 12th (repechage) | 1500 m | 3:37.49 |
| 18th | 5000 m | 13:31.38 | |||
Personal bests
- Track
- 1500 metres – 3:29.51 (Monaco Diamond League, 2021)
- One mile – 3:48.37 (Oslo Diamond League, 2021)
- 3000 metres – 7:28.02 (Golden Gala, Rome 2020)
- 5000 metres – 12:56.07 (Los Angeles 2024)
- 10,000 metres – 27:23.38 (Zatopek 2019)
- 3000 metres steeplechase – 8:34.25 (Gothenburg 2017)
- Road
References
- ^ "Participants, Stewart McSWEYN". Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation.
- ^ Stewart McSweyn at World Athletics
- ^ a b "Stewart McSweyn". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Stewart MCSWEYN | Profile | World Athletics".
- ^ "The King of King Island dominates Zatopek:10".
- ^ "Stewart McSweyn breaks mile record in blistering run". www.abc.net.au. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ "Athletics McSWEYN Stewart". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Moorhouse, Lachlan. "Bronzed Aussies Headline Success at Home World Athletics Cross Country Championships". www.athletics.com.au. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Profile of Stewart MCSWEYN". All-Athletics.com. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
