.jpg) Bisset in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Catriona Li Bisset |
| Born | (1994-03-01)1 March 1994 (age 31)[1] Newcastle,New South Wales, Australia[2] |
| Education | University of Melbourne[3] |
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[4] |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Middle-distance running |
| Coached by | Trevor Painter &Jenny Meadows (2024–)[5] Ned Brophy-Williams (2021–24)[6] Peter Fortune (2017–21)[7] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbests | |
| Catriona Bisset | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 李克勤 | ||||||
| |||||||
Catriona Li Bisset (born 1 March 1994) is an Australianmiddle-distance runner who specialises in the800 metres. She holds theOceanian record for both indoors and outdoors in the event, and won the gold medal at the2019 Universiade. Bisset has four individual Australian national titles.
Born inNewcastle and raised inCanberra, Bisset participated inLittle Athletics from age 6.[2][8] She displayed potential as a youth, but withdrew from competition for several years as she improved hermental health.[3][7][9] During her undergraduate studies at theUniversity of New South Wales, she began training withUniversity of Sydney head coach Dean Gleeson.[8][10] She resumed racing in 2016.[1] The following year, Bisset moved fromSydney toMelbourne, and Gleeson introduced her to Peter Fortune, best known as the coach of400-metresprinterCathy Freeman.[10][11]
Bisset rose to national prominence in 2019. After improving her personal best throughout the domestic season, she won the800 metres at theAustralian Athletics Championships in 2:00.48.[12] 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.[11]
In May, Bisset was selected for her first national team, representing Australia at theWorld Relays. She andJosh Ralph placed second in the first-ever mixed 2 × 2 × 400 m relay.[13] Bisset went on to win the 800 m at both theOceania Championships[14] andSummer Universiade.[15] She made herDiamond League debut at theAnniversary Games in London in July, where she placed second behindLynsey Sharp.[16] Her time of 1:58.78 set a newAustralian record, surpassing the 43-year-old record set byCharlene Rendina, and qualifying Bisset for the2020 Tokyo Olympics.[17] Two months later, she competed at theDoha World Championships in Qatar, but was hampered by injury and did not progress beyond the heats.[18]
Bisset did not race internationally in 2020 due toCOVID-19. However, this allowed her to continue aerobic training and fully recover from injury.[19]
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.[20] She also successfully defended her 800 m national title, officially securing her place on theAustralian Olympic team.[21] On her return to the European circuit in June, Bisset improved her national record at theJanusz Kusociński Memorial with a time of 1:58.09, which also broke theOceanian record set byToni Hodgkinson in 1996.[22]
At the postponedTokyo Olympics in July, Bisset ran 2:01.65 in thewomen's 800 m heats, narrowly missing her chance to advance.[23] She ended her season in September by competing in her firstDiamond League final, running 1:59.66 for seventh atWeltklasse Zürich.[24] After the racing season, she began training withLinden Hall under the guidance of coach Ned Brophy-Williams.[6]
Bisset made her indoor debut at theBirmingham Indoor Grand Prix in February. She ran 1:59.46 for second behindKeely Hodgkinson, setting another national and Oceanian record in the process.[25] She secured victories in the following two top-levelWorld Indoor Tour meets, including theCopernicus Cup inToruń, where she defeatedHalimah Nakaayi.[6] Later in March, Bissetplaced fifth at theWorld Indoor Championships inBelgrade with a time of 2:01.24.[26] Two weeks later, back outdoors in Australia, she ran 1:59.83 to win her third consecutive national title.[27] On theDiamond League circuit, she ran sub-two minutes inRome,Oslo andStockholm, including a season's best time of 1:58.54 to finish third in Stockholm behindMary Moraa and Hodgkinson.[28]
In the first round of theWorld Championships held inEugene, Oregon 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.[29] The following day, she ran with 11 stitches in her thigh and a swollen knee, but did not advance to the final.[30] Despite her injuries, she competed at theBirmingham Commonwealth Games in August,placing fifth in a time of 1:59.41.[31]
In February, Bisset ran threeWorld Indoor Tour races, including another indoor sub-two minutes.[1] Returning to Australia, she won the Brisbane Track Classic in 1:59.74.[32] She then won her fourth national title in a meet record of 1:58.32, the fastest time by an Australian on home soil.[33] At the end of her season,Track & Field News ranked Bisset seventh in the women's 800 metres, the first Australian to feature in the top-10 since Rendina in 1974.[34]
Bisset faced strong domestic competition for a place on the Olympic team.[35] After failing to defend her national title, running 1:59.87 behindClaudia Hollingsworth,Abbey Caldwell andBendere Oboya,[36] Bisset went on to run a season's best of 1:58.12 at theLondon Diamond League in July.[37] She competed in the2024 Paris Olympics, where she drew attention among Hong Kong citizens due to sharing the same Chinese name as the singerHacken Lee.[38]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | 2nd | 2 × 2 × 400 m relay | 3:37.61 |
| Summer Universiade | Naples, Italy | 1st | 800 m | 2:01.20 | |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 39th (h) | 800 m | 2:05.33 | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 21st (h) | 800 m | 2:01.65 |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 5th | 800 mi | 2:01.24 |
| World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 26th (sf) | 800 m | 2:05.20 | |
| Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 5th | 800 m | 1:59.41 | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 12th (sf) | 800 m | 1:59.94 |
| 2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 8th (sf) | 800 mi | 2:00.13 |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 17th (rep) | 800 m | 2:02.35 |
Bisset studied apostgraduate degree inarchitecture anddiploma inChinese language at theUniversity of Melbourne.[39] Her mother was born inNanjing, China.[8] Part of her schooling was atMelrose High School in theWoden Valley area of Canberra.[40]
