Former Australian 100m Champion Jake Doran Charged and Banned From Athletics

Jake Doran, the sprinter once billed as the fastest man in Australia, has been charged with a child sex offence in Queensland and provisionally banned from athletics.

Queensland police arrested the 26-year-old in Townsville on October 13 and charged him with one count of indecent treatment of a child under 16. He has been released on bail and is due to appear at Townsville Magistrates Court on November 5. Police say their investigation is ongoing. The charge is an allegation that has not been tested in court, and Doran has not entered a plea.

The athletics body acts

Australian Athletics confirmed it moved against Doran after learning of the charge. "Australian Athletics is aware that an athlete has been charged with a serious offence in Townsville," a spokesperson said. The organisation has imposed a provisional action that bars him from attending club, member association and Australian Athletics events, and bans him from taking part in athletics training. The provisional action is an interim step, not a finding of guilt. It keeps him out of the sport while the court process runs.

"The former international athlete has no paid or unpaid role within Australian Athletics," the spokesperson said. "The safety and wellbeing of all participants in our sport is paramount, and we take all allegations of this nature very seriously. As the matter is now a police matter, Australian Athletics will not be making any further comment."

A career that stalled

Doran grew up on Magnetic Island off Townsville and was a teenage prodigy. He ran 10.15 seconds for the 100m at 17, an Oceania under-20 record, and 20.76 seconds for the 200m at 18. Injury wrecked his push for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and he watched those Games from home.

His peak came in 2022. He won the Australian 100m title in a wind-assisted 10.05 seconds, raced at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and reached the 100m semifinals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he finished second in his heat behind South Africa's Akani Simbine, the reigning champion. He added the national 200m title in 2023. His times since have not matched those early marks, and he has held no formal role with the national body.

The case returns to court on November 5.