A trio of Paris Olympics medallists will headline the largest and strongest team Australia has ever sent to a world indoor championships, with hopes high they will return from China with a record haul.
Nicola Olyslagers and and Eleanor Patterson - who were second and third respectively at the 2024 Olympics - will square off against world record holder and Paris Games gold medallist Yaroslava Mahuchikh in a top-class high jump competition in Nanjing.
Olyslagers will be defending a world title for the first time, having won indoor gold last year in Glasgow.
Patterson is also now a regular fixture on the podium at global majors with a CV that includes world outdoor gold in Eugene, Oregon two years ago.
"My goal for world indoors is to continue the momentum from my last competition," she said.
"I jumped 1.99m, and I know I am ready for more and to raise the bar higher.
"I'm jumping with a brand new run-up that is quite different. It is no easy process changing the way you move, and it is a constantly evolving progress. I am adding to my weaponry as an athlete."
Paris Olympics 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull will step up in distance to the 3000m for the three-day short-track championships in Nanjing which begin on Friday.
Hull is the third-fastest runner in the field, behind only Ethiopian duo Freweyni Hailu and Birke Haylom.
Paris Games pole vault champion Nina Kennedy typically does not compete indoors, preferring to keep her powder dry for the outdoor season.
Her training partner Kurtis Marschall will fancy his chances of a podium finish in the men's pole vault.
But the unbackable favourite for gold is Swede Armand Duplantis, who set his 11th world record last month when he soared over 6.27m.
Australia's other Paris medallists, discus star Matt Denny and walkers Jessica Montag and Rhydian Cowley, specialise in disciplines that aren't on the indoor program.
The 20-strong Australian squad for the Nanjing championships also includes some of the brightest stars of Generation Next.
Lachlan Kennedy sits in top spot on the 2025 world list over 60m with a flying effort of 6.43 seconds in Canberra in January, while Torrie Lewis will be eyeing a spot in the women's 60m final.
The middle-distance contingent includes Glasgow Commonwealth Games champion Olli Hoare in the men's 1500m and the consistent Abbey Caldwell in the women's 800m.
Australia's largest medal haul at a world indoors was four in Toronto in 1993.
