Oceania Athletes Shine at 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships

The 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships, held from March 21–23 in Nanjing, China, marked a significant milestone for Oceania and Pacific Island athletes.

With seven medals in total over three days of competition, Australia finished sixth on the gold medal tally and recorded the second-highest overall medal count behind USA’s 16 medals, underscoring the rising strength of Australian track and field.

Gold to Tom Walsh in the shot put and silver for Hamish Kerr to add to his Paris Olympic Games gold, capped off a good three days for New Zealand team in Nanjing. It was Walsh’s third win at the world indoors, having taken the title in 2016 in Portland and 2018 in Birmingham.

Fourteen athletes from the pacific competed as part of the Oceania team, showcasing their talents on the global stage.

Papua New Guinea’s Pais Wisil made history by becoming the first Pacific Island track athlete in recent history to progress to a global semi-final. Known for his electric starts, Wisil ran 6.66 seconds in the heats and 6.73 seconds in the semi-final.

Fiji’s Waisale Inoke, a multi-event specialist, represented his nation in the 60 metres event. Inoke had an impressive indoor season, setting a new national indoor heptathlon record twice and recording a notable 6.88 seconds in the 60m, just 0.01s shy of the national record. At the championships, he clocked 6.94 seconds in the heats.

Daniel Tolosa from the Cook Islands broke his national record in the 60 metres with a time of 7.09 seconds, marking his second national record of the month.

These performances highlight the growing presence and competitiveness of Pacific Island athletes in international athletics. Their achievements in Nanjing serve as inspiration for future athletes from the region.