Luke van Ratingen’s return to running began without starting blocks or a full lap. After slowly progressing from walking to jogging, bends and spikes, the Frenchs Forest athlete is now preparing to make his Commonwealth Games debut for Australia.
The 24-year-old has been selected for the mixed 4×400-metre relay at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, less than two years after a serious big-toe injury ended his attempt to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.
Two surgeons considered the injury likely to prevent him from running competitively again. Van Ratingen spent about six months moving on and off crutches before beginning the eight-month rehabilitation program that eventually brought him back to the track.
National Success Before The Setback
Van Ratingen’s athletics journey began in Little Athletics, but his development accelerated after he joined coach Ben Liddy’s squad in 2020 at the age of 18.
His 400-metre personal best stood at 47.47 seconds in 2021. By the 2022–23 domestic season, he had lowered that mark by almost two seconds.
After finishing second to American sprinter Fred Kerley at the Sydney Track Classic, van Ratingen claimed the 2023 Australian 400-metre title in 45.88 seconds.
He left for Germany the following day to begin a year-long university exchange while completing a business and international studies degree through the University of Technology Sydney. His European season ended early after two hamstring injuries.
Van Ratingen returned for the 2023–24 campaign and lowered his personal best to 45.57 seconds. He finished second at the Australian Championships before winning the 400 metres at the Oceania Championships in Suva.
Behind those results, however, was a recurring overuse stress fracture affecting the sesamoid area of his big toe.
The injury deteriorated after his final race in Germany in June 2024, when he was pursuing Olympic qualification. His Paris campaign was over, and the long-term medical assessment placed the rest of his running career in doubt.
Frenchs Forest Athlete Starts Again
With support from Liddy and physiotherapist Andrew Clark, van Ratingen followed a rehabilitation program that gradually exposed his injured foot to the demands of sprinting.
He progressed from leaving a protective boot and walking to jogging and completing short repetitions. Bends were introduced later, with running in spikes forming the final stage.
Although the toe did not fully heal, van Ratingen returned to competition at the NSW championships in March 2025.
His first 400-metre heat ended in 47.86 seconds. In the final the following day, he cut more than two seconds from that performance to win in 45.64 seconds.
The result changed the direction of a season in which he had been uncertain about continuing to the national championships. He eventually competed and finished third, again running 45.64 seconds.
A month later, van Ratingen joined Australia at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. He ran the opening leg of the mixed 4×400-metre relay, producing a 45.10-second split as the team set an Australian record and won silver.
The performance helped qualify the relay for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he competed later that year.
Records And A Place In Glasgow
Van Ratingen opened the 2026 domestic season with three consecutive personal bests.
He first ran 45.21 seconds, followed by 45.10 and 45.03. He then finished second at the Australian Championships and claimed bronze at the Oceania Championships in Darwin with a time of 45.04.
His season continued at the World Athletics Relays in Botswana, where he competed in both rounds of Australia’s men’s 4×400-metre campaign.
The team set an Oceania record of 2:57.30 in the opening round before improving to an Australian record of 2:55.20 in the final. Van Ratingen ran the opening leg in 44.86 seconds as Australia secured bronze.
Away from the track, he has balanced elite athletics with study and a career in finance. His education included business and international studies at the University of Technology Sydney and an exchange at the University of Cologne.
He has since reduced his working week to four days to allow more time for training, gym sessions and physiotherapy.
Glasgow will mark van Ratingen’s fifth appearance on an Australian national team and his first at the Commonwealth Games. He will compete in the mixed 4×400-metre relay during the Games, which run from 23 July to 2 August.
Published 20-July-2026
