For Kurtis Marschall’s final pole vaulting competition of the 2026 outdoor season, he finished on 5.95m and in 4th place at the first edition of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. At this year’s Diamond League, Kurtis came away with seven medals, including Bronze at the final event at Memorial Van Damme in Brussels and Gold at Bauhausgalan in Stockholm and Bislett Games in Oslo, and he became the first competitor in three years to beat his fellow competitor Mondo Duplantis (Armand Duplantis) in Stockholm. Having made his Commonwealth Games debut at the Gold Coast in 2018, Kurtis went on to represent Team Australia again in Birmingham in 2022 and Glasgow this year, where he became the Commonwealth champion at all three events. In September 2025, Kurtis won Bronze at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, and he also won Bronze in March this year at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń. February saw Kurtis clear the six metres mark at the 2026 All Star Perche after making a coaching change to best friend Declan Carruthers, and he has competed at three Olympic Games for Australia, with Rio 2016 being his debut, before competing at Tokyo 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, and at Paris 2024, where he had just come back from injury. Talking with us, Kurtis told us about his final competition of the 2026 outdoor season, winning seven medals at this year’s Diamond League (including Gold in Stockholm and Oslo), becoming the Commonwealth champion for three consecutive Games and representing Australia at the Olympics in Rio, Tokyo and Paris.
You have just had your final competition of the 2026 outdoor season at the first edition of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest; can you tell us about the competition and how was it competing there for the first time?
Competing at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship for the first time was extra special. I feel like the sport of athletics is moving in the right direction. After experiencing the Ultimates for the first time, as both a competitor and a spectator, was extraordinary. The new revolutionary championship format was really cool.
As an athlete, I felt like we were really well looked after, with a great hotel, yummy food, red carpet event and really well-executed competition day logistics. Being the final competition of the season, and having so much prize money on the line, made it feel like a real championship event. Everyone wanted to take home the maximum prize of $150k.
The height progression highlighted how insane the level of men’s pole vault is right now. I felt confident that I was in the mix for a podium finish, although a few early misses on my scorecard meant I finished with 5.95m and 4th place. Clearing 5.95m meant I went from dead last place to 4th, having only cleared 5.60m before missing 5.80m and passing to 5.95m. It was a clutch clearance and kept me in the running for a podium.
I had some really close attempts at the next height of 6.05m but was unsuccessful. My coach and I were still very happy to finish a very successful season with another 5.95m.
How was it coming away from this year’s Diamond League with seven medals (including Bronze at the final event – Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium), and how does it feel to achieve consistency throughout the Diamond League?
The Diamond League is the highest level of competition in our sport and demands all competitors to be at their best every single competition. I was lucky enough to be invited to all the Diamond League events this season and managed to secure many podium finishes.
Coming away from this season, I am very pleased to have performed so consistently. One of my fellow competitors, Sam Kendricks, always says you can make a serious living out of jumping 5.80m everywhere. I averaged 5.87m across all of my 22 competitions this season. That is the key to being successful in this sport. Consistency and the ability to keep showing up, no matter the conditions, is what determines a real competitor.
I pride myself in my preparation and make sure I really thoroughly plan out the season to ensure I can compete at my best all season long. My coaches and I are meticulous at the planning and programming component of my training. That’s what enables me to identify any training top-ups that I need throughout the season and know when to freshen up for the important competitions.
What do you enjoy most about travelling around the world for the Diamond League, and what was it like winning Gold at Bauhausgalan (Stockholm, Sweden) and Bislett Games (Oslo, Norway) and becoming the first competitor in three years to beat Mondo Duplantis in Stockholm?
The thing I enjoy the most about travelling around the world for the Diamond League is the opportunity to perform and compete at so many incredible stadiums and destinations around the world. I grew up watching the Diamond League on the TV and followed all the athletes closely throughout the season. I love knowing that there are young kids out there watching me and doing the same thing. Inspiring them to pursue their athletic dreams and be fit and healthy people.
Taking the win in Stockholm was unbelievable. It was a strange feeling taking the win at Mondo’s home meet in front of all his family and friends. I was over the moon for myself but disappointed for him. But I think if there was anyone that he would have wanted to win other than himself, it was me.
We have a really close friendship and I really cherish that relationship. He really looks after me like family while we are on the road. Then, to follow up with another win in Oslo, I felt extra excited knowing that it wasn’t a fluke.
At this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, you won your third consecutive Commonwealth pole vault title for Team Australia; how do you find the experience competing at the Commonwealth Games and how is it collecting your Gold medals whilst hearing the Australian anthem?
The Commonwealth Games has a special place in my heart because it means so much to us Aussies. It gets huge TV coverage and lots of media hype around the event. It’s an amazing opportunity for athletes and their brand.
I love competing for my country and hearing the Australian national anthem. I’ve heard it now three times, and it gets even more special every time.
I was lucky enough to have some of my nearest and dearest in Glasgow this year. The level of competition was extra high this year, having three guys clear 5.70m, not making it easy for me to take the win.
I knew that I was in great shape and knew that I wanted to go for the Games Record. The night was cold and the stadium was small, but the crowd was still amazing and the level of competition across the whole Games was super high.
I knew I could do it, and I managed the conditions as well as I could, combined with making all the right decisions with my coach to clear each bar on the first attempt all the way to 5.80m.
What are some of your favourite memories from competing at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast 2018, Birmingham 2022 and Glasgow 2026, and what was it like making your Commonwealth debut and winning Gold in front of a home crowd in 2018?
I sometimes forget how important the Commonwealth Games are to Australians. But every time it comes around, I’m reminded how special it is to compete at these Games and represent Australia.
I have so many fond memories of the Gold Coast Games. It was my first major international win, and doing it in front of a deafening home crowd filled with all of my family and friends was extra special.
The Gold Coast Games was also where I first started dating my fiancĂ©e Olivia. She was there supporting me and, after the competition, I asked her to be my girlfriend. That added an extra-special moment to those Games and will be a moment in time I’ll never forget.
To back it up in Birmingham was extra special too, because it was only a few weeks after underperforming at the World Championships. I went out there on a redemption mission and was able to channel that energy into getting the win and another 5.70m jump.
Can you tell us about your time at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September 2025 and the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland in March this year, which saw you win Bronze at both?
Both the Outdoor and Indoor World Championships in Tokyo and ToruĹ„ were extra special. I reaffirmed my place in the top three pole vaulters in the world. That is an extra special achievement in this current era of men’s pole vaulting.
Jumping 5.95m and 6.00m respectively at a championship is the most important part. Those kinds of heights have won many of the past major championships.
Tokyo was extra special being one year after the Olympics, where I wasn’t able to perform at my best due to injury. Returning to the podium after a year of injury was extra special and reassuring, knowing I am still the athlete I was, if not better than I was prior to injury.
In February, you cleared the six metres mark at the 2026 All Star Perche, what did this moment mean to you?
Clearing 6.00m for the first time was more of a relief than anything. I knew I was capable of jumping that high for many years; it just came down to the execution.
I had just recently made a coaching change to my best friend Declan Carruthers. This was only my third competition working with him, but he brings such a calming demeanor to my competitions.
He and I were able to come up with the perfect formula to clearing 6.00m: the perfect pole, grip height, standards, run up execution and jump dynamic to clear the bar.
What is it like representing Australia at the Olympic Games and how is it staying in the athletes village?
The Olympics is the pinnacle of this sport and demands athletes to be at their absolute best once every four years.
Unfortunately, in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics, I dislocated my ankle and was only just able to return to jumping before the Games. I wasn’t in peak physical condition due to the limited preparation, but I still managed to clear 5.85m for 6th place.
I was extra proud of my performance for showing fight and determination to recover as fast as possible and still perform. If it was any other year, the advice would have been to call off the rest of the season. But this was never an option for me. I did everything I could to recover as fast as possible to still have the best Olympic experience possible.
Australia always makes the athlete accommodation as comfortable as possible. They provided mattress toppers for the cardboard beds, lots of recovery facilities, snack options and baristas from home to keep us all filled up on caffeine (my favourite).
How different did you find each of your Olympic experiences – 2016 Rio de Janeiro for your Olympic debut, 2020 Tokyo during the coronavirus pandemic (held in 2021) and 2024 Paris?
All of my Olympic experiences were completely different. From being young and dumb and only 19 years old in Rio, to the pandemic Games, where I was kicked out of the village, deemed a close contact and, in turn, underperformed. To Paris, where I only just managed to recover in time from injury. They all have their incredible stories and all hold an extra special place in my heart and have made me stronger as an athlete.
I am thankful for all of my experiences as an athlete, and that’s what makes it such an incredible story.
How do you stay motivated during a busy season which has multi-sport competitions such as the Olympic or Commonwealth Games during the Diamond League, and how do you get focused on competition days?
I use all of the Diamond League competitions as preparation and take away as many learnings as possible to prepare for the major championships. I usually like to schedule as many competitions as feasibly possible before the major championship to learn as much as possible.
Pole vault is all about pattern recognition – determining what pole I need to clear what bar depending on the conditions and what shape I am in.
The more prepared I am, and the more competitions I’ve done in the most amount of variable conditions, the more confident I feel.
Do you have any further stand-out highlights of your career so far that you can share?
Highlights for me also come in the form of relationships and experiences I’ve had while travelling. I have managed to build lifelong friendships with some of my competitors.
This year I had the privilege of attending two of my best competitor and friends’s weddings. These were extra special and milestone events in my life. I also have the privilege of inviting them to my wedding at the end of next year in Australia.
I also get to experience bucket-list things, like playing golf at iconic locations, visiting global landmarks and eating at some of the world’s best restaurants. These are all the perks of travelling the world for a living.
Where does your love of athletics come from and how did you originally get started in pole vault?
I started athletics as a child when my mum thought I had too much energy for my own good. I started at my local little athletics club at age six and loved all of the events. It wasn’t until I saw Steve Hooker win Olympic Gold in 2008 that I decided to specialise in pole vault.
I played AFL growing up also, and as the seasons started to overlap, I had to choose between athletics and footy. It’s a decision I am very happy with. I love the idea of travelling for sport and representing my country. That’s what the sport of athletics has to offer over footy.
Have you been given any advice over your pole vaulting career so far that has stuck with you, and what advice would you give someone wanting to get into the sport?
The main piece of advice I have learnt, and that I would give any young aspiring athlete, is that this sport takes time. The technique, the speed, the strength, the ups and downs, the experience and the missed experiences, the injuries and the learning all come together to make an extra special athlete.
All of these things have to be experienced before you become the best athlete you can be. Not everyone’s career and progression is linear. Patience is key. Learning is critical, and the more you listen and study the sport, the better you’ll perform.
What does a typical training day look like for you, and how much has it changed over the years?
I typically train five times per week. Explosive power athletes like myself have to prioritise recovery to perform at our best. For me, it’s quality over quantity. Minimal reps and lots of rest enables me to execute at the highest quality.
I usually train in the mornings. I start my day with a coffee and some breakfast, usually overnight oats. I then head to training around 9am and train until 12pm. I then head home and have some food for recovery. Then I relax for the afternoon or run my errands.
This mindset has maintained over the years, and it’s usually my coach’s job to make sure I’m sticking to the schedule because I have the tendency to want to train more than I do.
This is why a great coach is super important in any athlete’s preparation. They almost have to know you better than yourself – knowing when it’s time to push or to rein it in.
Were there any athletes that inspired you when growing up, and do you have any other favourite sports to watch?
I love watching all sports, but I am especially inspired by athletes in my own sport, like Steve Hooker. He paved the way for pole vaulting in Australia.
My previous coach Paul Burgess came from humble beginnings and had a similar pathway to me in pole vault. He taught me how to perfect the art of specificity to the athlete. That’s what made me progress, because every athlete is different and their programme needs tailoring to their own needs.
Work with the athlete’s strengths, highlight them, and also build on the weaknesses.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love playing golf and drinking coffee.
Do you have any competitions coming up that you can tell us about or that you are targeting?
I have some very exciting competitions in the works. I am putting together a world-class field for a men’s pole vault-only competition in Perth next year.
This is extra exciting for me because it’s my mission to inspire the next generation of athletes. There is no better way than to put on a pole vaulting spectacle on home soil.
The benefit of pole vault is that it can be a one-off event and can be performed in any location in the world. I have had the blessing of competing at many amazing locations around the world, and I would love to bring that to the people of Australia.
All of the best pole vaulters from around the world are always looking for an invite to Australia, so I think it’s my responsibility to do it. Use my brand and name to put on a show and inspire the next generation of athletics superstars.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more information soon.
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