Stewart McSweyn (athletics) was a genuine medal contender in the men’s 1500m at his second Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022 before succumbing to flu, forcing him to withdraw just a few days before the race. Four years earlier on the Gold Coast, he competed in the 5000m and 10,000m where he finished 5th and 11th respectively.

One of Australia’s finest middle-long distance runners, McSweyn grew up on a beef and sheep farm on King Island in Bass Strait and went to boarding school in Ballarat where he developed under local coach Rod Griffin. Making his representative debut as a junior at the 2013 world cross country titles, McSweyn also competed at the 2015 World University Games.

Ahead of his Olympic debut in Tokyo, McSweyn blitzed the Australian mile record when running 3:48.37 in Oslo, then a week later lowered the Australian 1500m record to 3:29.51 in Monaco. He ran an impressive 3:31.91 in Tokyo where he finished 7th, Australia’s best result in the event since Herb Elliott won gold in 1960. He competed in his second Olympics in Paris in 2024 in the 1500m and 5000m.

McSweyn has also competed at four world championships (2017, 2019, 2022, 2023), with a best placing of 9th in the 1500m at Eugene in 2022. He also helped the Australian team to bronze in the 2km mixed relay at the 2023 world cross country championships in Bathurst.