Jake Doran (athletics) reached the semi-final of the men’s 100m at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It was the culmination of a brilliant 2022 season where he won all the major 100m races – the Australian title, Brisbane Track Classic and Oceania championships – ahead of his world championships and Commonwealth Games debuts just a fortnight apart.

Born and raised in the small community of Magnetic Island, the keen rugby union fan was a late starter in athletics aged 14, surprising even himself by qualifying for the National All Schools Championships. In 2017 he represented Australia at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas. After missing the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials due to lumbar stress fractures, he was selected for the World Under-20 Championships in Finland where he broke the Australian and Oceania under-20 100m record.

Selection for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games seemed all but guaranteed before COVID and a series of injury setbacks, but Doran returned with vengeance working with dual Olympian and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Paul Di Bella to gain his place in Eugene and Birmingham. He competed at his second world championships in Budapest in 2023.

The Townsville-based sprinter was the inaugural recipient of the James Cook University Elite Athlete Scholarship, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree of international business. He is also a licensed football scout and opposition analyst with the Professional Football Scouts Association.