Stars in Adelaide perform on Rekortan Gel
The 2026 Adelaide Invitational was run on a Rekortan Gel ‘super’ track.
The Adelaide Invitational was held on 13–14 March at the SA Athletics Stadium in Adelaide, Australia. The event forms part of the World Athletics Continental Tour and is one of 20 major events on Rekortan in the 2025/26 Australian and New Zealand athletics calendar.
Aidan Murphy and Daniel Williams impress
South Australia’s Aidan Murphy won the 200m in 20.43 (-1.3), setting a new meet record and defeating Diamond League champion and World Championship silver medallist Jacory Patterson (USA).
Sharing the spotlight with Murphy was 18-year-old Daniel Williams (NSW), who continued his rapid rise by defeating former national champion Luke Boyes (NSW) in a thrilling 800m finish. Williams clocked 1:44.37 to win by just 0.01 seconds, with both athletes setting personal bests.
Having run 1:52.40 in Perth just a month earlier, Williams clearly benefited from the “pop” of the Adelaide Rekortan Gel track and is shaping up strongly for the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships.
Meeting record in the Polytan Women’s 800m and an Aussie top 10 in the Men’s 400m Hurdles
In the Polytan Women’s 800m, Abbey Caldwell (VIC) bettered her own meet record with a time of 2:00.04.
Conditions settled for the 400m, where Jemma Pollard (NSW) and Luke van Ratingen (NSW) secured victories in 52.22 and 45.21 respectively. In the men’s 400m hurdles, Matthew Hunt (NSW) moved into the all-time Australian top 10 with an impressive 49.48.
During Friday Night Lights, the women’s 4 × 100m team – Ebony Lane (QLD), Monique Hanlon (NSW), Olivia Rose Inkster (NSW) and Chloe Mannix-Power (QLD) – set a meeting record, finishing in 43.37.
The men’s 4 × 100m relay team of Lachlan Kennedy (QLD), Joshua Azzopardi (NSW), Christopher Ius (NSW) and Jacob Despard (TAS) also won in meeting record of 38.34.
“The biggest difference is how well the athletes pull up after sessions. The surface has a real cushion to it, so they don’t get the same pounding through the body. Before the upgrade we did most of our winter training on grass because the old track was so hard. Now we’re doing the majority of our sessions on the track. We’re seeing some amazing personal bests. Even with open athletes who have been competing for years, they’re still running PBs, which is really hard to achieve.”
Nano technology gives the track more pop
The SA Athletics Stadium features a Rekortan Gel “super” track. Rekortan Gel is the world’s only gel-based track, with technology that works on similar principles to modern “super shoes,” storing and returning energy with every step.
This is achieved through a gel layer containing trillions of liquid nano-bubbles, which act like a network of microscopic springs. These compress under force to provide athlete comfort, then rapidly return to shape, helping to pop the athlete forward at toe-off.
Rekortan Gel feedback – fewer injuries, less fatigue and faster times
Debbie Meich is a Level 3 Advanced Athletics Australia coach who trains a squad of 25 junior, open and professional athletes. Her squad includes sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and beach runners.
Debbie has coached on the SA Athletics Stadium Gel track for 3 years, and her feedback about the new gel technology is overwhelmingly positive.
“The biggest difference is how well the athletes pull up after sessions. The surface has a real cushion to it, so they don’t get the same pounding through the body. Before the upgrade we did most of our winter training on grass because the old track was so hard. Now we’re doing the majority of our sessions on the track. We’re seeing some amazing personal bests. Even with open athletes who have been competing for years, they’re still running PBs, which is really hard to achieve.”
A step-change in athlete welfare
For well over a decade, innovation in athletics has largely focused on footwear, from advanced spikes to energy-return “super shoes.” Tracks, however, have seen far less evolution, despite playing an equally critical role in how forces are absorbed and returned with every step.
Every stride is an interaction between athlete, shoe, and surface. With Rekortan’s advances in nano-engineered gel technology, the track is now catching up and actively contributing to athlete performance and welfare in ways not previously possible.
Next up on Rekortan is the Maurie Plant meeting in Melbourne, and the Australian Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park on their new Rekortan Gel track.
