Jack Rayner Shatters Australian Indoor 5000m Record, Secures Spot for World Championships

Australian distance-running star Jack Rayner achieved his second national record and secured his spot for the world athletics championships in September with a remarkable performance in Boston on Sunday (AEDT).

In a 5000-metre race held on a 200-metre track, the 29-year-old runner from Melbourne finished with a time of 12:59.43, making him the first Australian to surpass the 13-minute mark indoors.

He obliterated the previous Australian indoor 5000m record of 13:09.96 set by Commonwealth Games gold medallist Oliver Hoare in Boston back in 2021.

Rayner also became only the third Australian overall to dip under 13 minutes in this distance, joining the ranks of Craig Mottram (with a personal best of 12:55.76) and Stewart McSweyn (12:56.07).

To qualify for the world championships taking place in Tokyo from September 13-21, Rayner needed to achieve a time of 13:01.00.

The event was won by Cole Hocker, the current Olympic champion in the 1500m, who finished in 12:57.82. American runner Cooper Teare was a close second at 12:57.97, while Rayner came in third.

Rayner maintained an impressive average pace of 2 minutes and 36 seconds per kilometre.

“I felt really strong out there today,” Rayner mentioned on the Melbourne Track Club’s social media.

“Coming from a 10,000m background, I was aware that the lap count was high, but the distance was significantly shorter.”

“I’ve been keen to race indoors for a few years, and it all came together this year. I aimed for the world championship standard, so I’m thrilled to achieve that. The Australian record is a welcomed bonus.”

Rayner, who faced a stress fracture in his femur during the Tokyo 2021 Olympics marathon, had to withdraw within the first 10 kilometres.

He then dealt with bone stress in his hip before the Paris Olympics, which hindered his chance of selection for the team.

“Managing his injuries has been quite challenging,” Rayner’s coach, Nic Bideau, shared with Wide World of Sports.

“Jack has experienced a lot of injuries, but when he is able to train effectively, he breaks records and excels in significant races.”

All three Australians who have broken the 13-minute barrier in the 5000m—Mottram, McSweyn, and Rayner—were trained by Bideau during their respective records.

“It’s a fantastic result for Rayner in Boston,” Bideau added.

“He was quite upset after missing the Olympics. He felt he didn’t have the opportunity to showcase his abilities on the rankings list due to his injuries. He was genuinely disappointed.

“However, since then, he has… won the Melbourne Marathon [in October], triumphed in the Zatopek [a 10,000m race in Melbourne in December], shattered the record here, and attained the qualifying time.”

Rayner also holds the national 10,000m record, having recorded a time of 27:09.57 in California last March.

He is set to compete in April’s London Marathon, along with Andy Buchanan and Brett Robinson. Buchanan recently snatched the national marathon record from Robinson with a time of 2:06.22 in Valencia.

Another Australian, 22-year-old Jude Thomas, finished eighth in the 5000m race on Sunday (AEDT) with a time of 13:09.36.