Luke Mathews (born 21 June 1995) is an Australian

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who competes in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

. He represented his country in both events at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. As well as in the 4 × 800 m at the

2017 IAAF World Relays The 2017 IAAF World Relays is the third edition of the biennial, global track and field relay competition between nations. It was held April 22–23, 2017, in Nassau, Bahamas. The distance medley relay The distance medley relay (DMR) is an athlet ...

, the 1500m at the

2017 IAAF World Championships Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

and in both events at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

. He also competed for Australia at

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

in the 800 m.

Athletics career

Born in Williamstown, Melbourne, Mathews made his international debut at the

2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born 1995 or later) which was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, on 22–27 July 2014. A total of 44 a ...

, being a semi-finalist in the 800 metres.Luke Mathews
IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-08-21. He made his breakthrough at senior level in 2016. After a win at the

Hunter Track Classic Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

he then ran world record holder

David Rudisha David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He is a two-time back-to-back Olympic champion from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, a two-time World champion from t ...

to the line at the

Melbourne Track Classic Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, recording a personal best of 1:45.16 minutes. It was the fastest time for the 800 m by an Australian in Australia for nearly 35 years. He was selected to compete for

Australia at the 2016 Summer Olympics Australia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Australia is one of only five countries to have sent athletes to every Summer Olympics of the modern era, alongside Great Britain, France, Greece ...

in both 800 m and 1500 m. He was eliminated in the heats stages. He competed for Australia at the

in the 1500 m. He finished 1st in his Heat with the overall fastest time. He was just eliminated in the Semi-Final. He competed for Australia at the

in both 800 m and 1500 m. He finished 3rd with a Bronze Medal in the 800m Final. He also made the Final of the 1500m. He competed for Australia at the

in the 800 m. He finished 7th in his Heat.

Personal life

Mathews grew up in

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werribee i ...

and Newport and attended St Kevin's College. He was also a talented junior Australian Rules Footballer having a stint with the

Western Jets The Western Jets is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Victorian premier U19 competition, the NAB League, since its inception in 1992. The club have developmental squads in the U16, however much of the attention is towards its U ...

before turning his focus to athletics. He is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce/Laws at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

. Luke also owns a sausage dog named, Louis.

Personal bests

600 metres The 600 metres is a rarely run middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. It is most often run at high school indoor track and field competitions. All-time top 25 *i = indoor performance *A = affected by altitude *h = ha ...

– 1:18.05 min (2016) *

– 1:45.16 min (2016) *

1000 metres The 1000 metres is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. The 1000 yards, an imperial alternative, was sometimes also contested. All-time top 25 *h = hand timed *i = indoor performance *A = affected by ...

– 2:19.57 min (2017) *

– 3:35.57 min (2017) *

Mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

– 3:54.53 min (2017) *

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

– 8:23.10 min (2012) *

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

– 14:36.80 min (2014) *

(road) – 4:03.0 (2016) All information from All-Athletics profile.Luke Mathews
All-Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-08-21.

International competitions

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Luke Living people 1995 births Athletes from Melbourne Australian male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia Australian Athletics Championships winners People educated at St Kevin's College, Melbourne People from Williamstown, Victoria Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Sportsmen from Victoria (state)