Source : ABC NEWS
The mullet haircut and moustache may be eye catching, but the reason Daniel Williams has been turning heads lately is because of his performances on the track.
At just 18, Williams is enjoying a breakout domestic season, highlighted by his stunning triumph in the men’s 800 metres at the Adelaide Invitational three weeks ago.
Williams ran a personal best time and meet record of 1:44.37 to trail only Peter Bol (1:43.89) and Bob Abdelrahim (1:44.27) on the 2026 Australian rankings.
The fact he sliced more than a second off his PB and moved to sixth on the Australian all-time list was impressive enough.
But it was the manner in which Williams achieved the victory in Adelaide that underlined his status as a rising star of Australian athletics.
Sitting third behind Luke Boyes at the bell, Williams made his move in the back straight and eventually drew level alongside the World Athletics Championships representative with 100m left in the race.
A titanic battle ensued in front of an enthralled crowd, with Williams edging out Boyes with a perfectly timed lean at the finish line to win by just 0.01 of a second.
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Deciding when to attack the experienced Boyes showed coolness under pressure, while resisting his opponent’s challenge in the home stretch illustrated grit.
Boyes, the 2023/24 national champion, did exact revenge at last Saturday night’s Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne by beating Williams home, 1:45.21 to 1:46.16.
They will be part of a stacked field at next week’s Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney, with Williams’s rivals knowing he is now a genuine contender to claim the national title.
“I’ve come much further than I thought I would this season,” Williams told ABC Sport at the Maurie Plant Meet.
“Anything now is just a bonus. I’m still in disbelief with that run [in Adelaide].”
Williams’s inspiration
A sprinkling of youth has helped reinvigorate Australian athletics in recent years, highlighted by the emergence of teenagers Gout Gout (18 years old) and Cameron Myers (19) as world-class talents.
With a nod to the title of Nirvana’s most famous song, the sport is smelling like teen sprit in Australia.
Cameron Myers set an Australian all-comers record in the 1,500m at the Maurie Plant Meet. (AAP: Joel Carrett)
Williams is inspired by Myers, who is a three-time world under-20 record holder and the owner of the fastest 1,500m run on Australian soil, courtesy of his breathtaking win at the Maurie Plant Meet.
Myers is just one of several middle-distances athletes on the international stage who are still in their teens, with American Cooper Lutkenhaus the most prominent.
A fortnight ago, Lutkenhaus won the men’s 800m gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń at the tender age of 17.
American Cooper Lutkenhaus is already a world indoor champion at the age of 17. (AP: Petr David Josek)
Across the Tasman, 16-year-old New Zealander Sam Ruthe is re-writing the record books as the holder of four world U18 best performances, which include the 1,500m and mile.
“”It’s just like that four-minute mile,” said Williams, referring to the almost-mythical barrier that dominated athletics in the early to mid-1950s.
“It was seen as something physiologically impossible but now you have a hundred Aussies who have gone under that time.
“So, I guess it just takes one junior to pave the way and it’s so inspirational for the rest of us.
“To see what Cam [Myers] has done over the past few years, to see what Lutkenhaus has done, what Ruthe has done — it’s all very inspiring to me.”
There is a long way to go for Williams to reach similar heights, but he’s already had a taste of overseas competition after representing Australia in the 1,500m at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima.
The trip to Peru came during a remarkable year for Williams, who won both the U20 and U18 national 1,500m crowns — inside the space of a week — at just 16 years of age.
US college awaits
Hailing from the Coffs Coast in northern NSW, the laid-back Williams credits much of his improvement to a balanced lifestyle, which includes daily visits to the beach.
He’ll have to travel further to find a coastline later this year, however, when he takes up a full athletic scholarship with US Division-1 university Penn State.
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Penn State was not the only university chasing Williams, an indication of his burgeoning reputation.
Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull (University of Oregon) and Olli Hoare (University of Wisconsin) are two Australians who enjoyed success on the US college circuit, with both winning the respective 1,500m titles at the 2018 NCAA Track and Field Championships.
But there are several cautionary tales of athletes who struggled to adjust to the rigours of college competition, as it is a challenging transition.
The familiar sound of an “Aussie accent”, though, will help smooth the process for Williams.
Tasmanian Ryan Foster is on the Penn State coaching staff, while one of their high-profile athletes is Hayley Kitching, with whom Williams trained in Coffs Harbour.
Hayley Kitching made the 800m final at the world indoor titles. (Getty Images: Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi)
Kitching performed superbly for Australia at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, finishing fifth in the women’s 800m final.
“That Aussie connection just made that decision so much easier for me,” Williams said of moving to Penn State.
“Just stepping off that plane and getting greeted with an Aussie accent, it will definitely feel like home.
“To have that Aussie connection there made the process so much easier.”
Williams, who finished year 12 at Coffs Harbour’s Bishop Druitt College last year, is looking to study a business-related degree when he moves to the US.
Before linking up with Penn State, Williams will be hoping to compete at August’s World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, where he’s likely to be a medal contender should he earn selection.
