Catriona Bisset


Catriona Bisset is an Australian middle-distance athlete and national record holder in the 800 metres.

Career

Early years

Bisset was raised in Canberra, where she participated in Little Athletics from age 6. She displayed potential as a youth, but withdrew from competition for several years as she improved her mental health. During her undergraduate studies at the University of New South Wales, she began training with University of Sydney head coach Dean Gleeson. She resumed racing in 2016. The following year, Bisset moved from Sydney to Melbourne, and Gleeson introduced her to Peter Fortune, best known as the coach of 400m athlete Cathy Freeman.

Breakthrough season

Bisset rose to national prominence in 2019. After improving her personal best throughout the domestic season, she won the 800m at the Australian Track & Field Championships in 2:00.48. One week later, she ran 1:59.78 at the UniSport National Championships to become the first Australian woman in a decade to break the two-minute barrier.
In May, Bisset was selected for her first national team, representing Australia at the 2019 World Relays. She and Josh Ralph placed second in the first-ever mixed 2 × 2 × 400m. Bisset went on to win the 800m at both the 2019 Oceania Championships and 2019 Summer Universiade.
Bisset made her Diamond League debut at the London Grand Prix in July, where she placed second behind Lynsey Sharp. Her time of 1:58.78 set a new Australian record, surpassing the 43-year-old record set by Charlene Rendina, and qualifying Bisset for the 2020 Olympics.
Two months later, Bisset competed at the 2019 World Championships, but was hampered by injury and did not progress beyond the heats.

Personal life

She is studying a postgraduate degree in architecture and diploma in Chinese language at the University of Melbourne. Her mother was born in Nanjing, China.