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Aussie star makes athletics history in never-before-seen moment

australian associated press

Catriona Bisset has continued her remarkable breakout season by consigning the 43-year-old Australian women's 800m track record to the annals of history.

Bisset, 25, stormed home to finished second behind local star Lynsey Sharp on day two of the London Diamond League meet in a time of one minute 58.78 seconds.

The previous Australian mark of 1:59.0 was set by Charlene Rendina way back in 1976.

"Lynsey felt me coming round and pushed me out onto lane two but that was great," said Bisset.

"I felt so strong, coming down the back straight.

"I feel like I still had a lot in me and it was nice to push it all the way."

Lynsey Sharp (R) just edges Catriona Bisset (L) for gold in the 800m. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Lynsey Sharp (R) edges Catriona Bisset (L) for gold. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Bisset first shot to prominence by winning the national 800m title in April, before dipping under the two-minute barrier for the first time a week later.

She has also won the Oceania and World University 800m titles in the past four weeks and shapes as one of Australia's best track hopes at the world championships in Doha beginning in late September.

"I knew I had that kind of race in me just because of the winning streak," she said.

"I knew if I had a quick pacemaker I could take some time off some my PB and I took exactly a second off."

Catriona Bisset couldn't believe her achievement after breaking the Aussie record. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Catriona Bisset couldn't believe her achievement. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)

Aussie athletics world in awe

Fellow Australian Morgan Mitchell also took full advantage of the quick 800m pace at the London Olympic Stadium to finish fifth in a personal-best time of 2:00.06, bettering the automatic qualifying mark for the Doha world titles in the process.

Promising Australian junior Carley Thomas was eighth in 2:01.01.

The only Australian track record older than Rendina's 800m time is Peter Norman's 200m mark of 20.06 seconds which dates all the way back to the final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

In other Australian action in London on Sunday, Matthew Ramsden stripped five seconds off his PB for the mile and moved to seventh on the national alltime list after stopping the clock at 3:53.32.

Rio Olympics finalist Brooke Stratton was fourth in the women's long jump with a best of 6.64m.