Sport
2 April, 2026
Ashley Curtis wins 800 m Gold at Australian Masters Athletics Championships
Maryborough local Ashley Curtis recently added another national title to his incredible running journey, winning Gold and Bronze medals at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships.
Held in Canberra last month, the masters championships attract the best athletes aged 30 or above to compete in age-graded events.
Travelling interstate to compete at a national championship can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking experience for any athlete, but for Curtis, those natural feelings are severely heightened.
Curtis goes through everyday life with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), requiring an assistance dog to leave his home.
Whenever he competes, Curtis’ partner, Rowena Gribble, sits near the track with the assistance dog, ensuring Curtis knows exactly where the dog is.
With previous experience competing at similar events, including the Australian Masters Games in Canberra last year, Curtis said competing with CPTSD remains challenging but is becoming more manageable.
“I’m getting a lot better. We got there two days early so we could go to the facility at the track and suss it all out with where the assistance dog is going to be with Rowena,” he said.
“In the beginning, it was very difficult to navigate because it was always the unknown, but now we kind of know what we are up against, so it’s a lot easier.
“Once warm-ups begin, it’s a balance between my anxiety and my racing anxiety, which my coach says to me is good as long as it’s not over the top because it gets your adrenaline going.
“I wear an Apple Watch, which has a to-do list that goes off at a certain time and tells me what I’ve got to be doing.
“Because of my anxiety, it just goes all out the door, especially with my warm-up with what exercises I’m supposed to do, I can’t get them in any sort of order, so it just all goes blank.
“I could do it right now, but with lots of people around, it becomes like someone threw spaghetti at the wall.”
Entering into the men’s 60-64 800 m and 1500 m, Curtis went up against elite competition, with 60+ world record holder John Meagher and former world masters champion Robert Schwerkolt among the starters.
Surrounded by a talented field, Curtis stood above the rest, winning the 800 m with a scorching time of 2:22, finishing just ahead of fellow Victorians Mike Bieleny and Meagher.
“A Gold medal means a thank you to Rowena, who’s given up a lot of her time, effort and financial commitment for us to go,” Curtis said.
“She would’ve been happy wherever I came, she said that I won by just getting on the start line.
“I had a race plan for the 800 m, knowing exactly where I wanted it to be at a certain place and that worked to a tee.
“I don’t like running first at the front, so I’ll sit second or third and then push when it’s time to go.”
Curtis found himself in medal contention the following day in the 1500 m, sticking with Schwerkolt and Meagher as they came around the final bend.
It was Schwerkolt who found the deciding burst of speed late, crossing the line first at 4:42 with Curtis close behind in third with a time of 4:45.
“It’s the first race I haven’t won. I knew it had to come at some stage and it couldn’t have happened at a better time in a better field,” Curtis said.
“It came down to the three of us, I gave it my all and that’s all I can expect. I didn’t think I would stay anywhere close to them, but I was with them until the last 100 m.
“I was still really happy with the way I ran. I did seven seconds faster than my personal best, which I didn’t think was possible.
“I want to go back again next year to Perth and I’d like to take the Gold, it’s given me the motivation to keep training hard and try and stay injury free.”
One week later, Curtis got back to winning ways at the Victorian Masters Track and Field Champion-ships in Doncaster, taking Gold in the men’s 60-64 1500 m.
Not resting on his laurels, Curtis said he has already circled his next events he’s striving for.
“I’ve just started training now for the state 10 km track race at the end of June at Cranbourne and then I would like to go to Ballarat for the national cross country in August,” he said.