Aidan Murphy set for the international stage at World Athletics Championships

University of Adelaide student, Aidan Murphy, is set to take on the world once again as he prepares to race for Australia at next week’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. No stranger to the international stage, Murphy (who studies a Bachelor of Economics) previously competed at the 2022 and 2023 events in Eugene, Oregon and Budapest, Hungary.

“Eugene in 2022 was my first real taste of senior international competition, and it opened my eyes to the level you need to be at,” Murphy recalls. “In Budapest in 2023 I felt a lot more settled and prepared, and it gave me confidence that I belong in that environment.”

He hopes to capitalise on those and other previous experiences, having also competed at the 2025 FISU World University Games this past July in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. “The FISU Games really felt like a mini-Olympics, with athletes from all over the world and huge crowds in the stadium,” Murphy says. “It showed me how big university sport is on the world stage, and it was a privilege to wear green and gold there.”

Murphy will race in the 200 metres - for which he set a personal record of 20.40 seconds in Perth in April this year - and the 4x400 metre relays in Tokyo. He qualified for the latter alongside Cooper Sherman (Vic), Reece Holder (QLD) and Tom Reynolds (Vic) in Guangzhou, China in May, the Australian team finishing second in their qualifying heat with an impressive time of 2:59.73.

Racing in the relay will be a different experience for the 200 metre specialist. “It’s not just about my own race anymore, it’s about making sure I’m in sync with my teammates and that our changeovers are spot on,” states Murphy. “We’ve done a lot of team sessions and technical work so we can trust each other in high pressure moments. At the same time I’ve kept building my speed and strength so I can give everything when it’s my turn to run.”

A member of the Adelaide University Sport Elite Athlete Club, Murphy is aiming for big things at the World Athletics Championships. “My goal is to help Australia make the final in both the mixed 4x400 metres and the men’s 4x400 metres relay,” he says. “I’ll also be competing again in the 200 metres, so I’ll have the chance between the two relays to showcase more of what I’ve got.”

And beyond that? “I’d love to qualify individually in the 200 metres, and also play a big part in the relays at the Commonwealth Games,” he declares. “More than anything I want to keep progressing each year, represent Australia with pride, and put myself in the mix at the biggest events.”

The University of Adelaide together with Adelaide University Sport and Fitness are proud to have supported Aidan in his journey to this year's World Athletics Championships, through the Pathway to Performance and Vice-Chancellor's Travel Grants. Program Coordinator Chris McHugh says, "As a member of the Elite Athlete Club, Aidan is able to benefit from the academic flexibility the program affords to high achieving athletes like himself, to assist with achieving in both his studies and on the track. We wish him the best for Tokyo!"

The World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan begin on September 13.