Athletics Australia has named a 69-strong squad for the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi after the three-day Australian Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games selection trials in Perth, according to information reaching here.
As lots of as 41 athletes earned automatic nomination to the team based on their results. A further 28 athletes were today announced as discretionary nominations to the team, taking the total number of nominated athletes to 69. The squad includes 12 disabled athletes, the best-known being wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley in the 1500m.
John Steffensen (400m and 4x400m relay) is another large name who will defend his 2006 titles in Delhi. Fabrice Lapierre, Chris Noffke and Mitchell Watt were all named in the men's long jump.
Newly-crowned national pole vault champion and athletics team captain Steve Hooker (pole vault) will lead a squad that features a true mix of youth and experience in to battle in Delhi, with Liz Parnov (pole vault) the youngest athlete nominated to today’s team at 15 years of age and track veteran Patrick Johnson (4x100m relay) the oldest at 37.
“God, I cannot even explain it, I am so overwhelmed and happy and grateful to my relatives and my coach,” Liz Parnov, 15-year-old daughter of Russian pole vault guru Alex Parnov, said. He had to concentrate hard during the competition to keep away from being distracted by her father Vicky's troubles. "I have my bad days, he (Vicky) has her bad days but in the finish we are still sisters," he said. He credited her father for blazing the trail for her to break in to the national team.
A team of up to 90 athletes is expected to be named to the final squad, to be announced following the close of the qualifying period on August 15, Athletics Australia said. With the window for automatic nomination to the team now closed, all future nominations will be made at the selectors' discretion.
“Knowing Vic could do it, it made me realise I had a chance and with my training group, I have Steve Hooker, Alana (Boyd), Amanda (Bisk), all of these brilliant pole vaulters,” he said. “To have jumped what I have jumped and to make it is cold.... But I don't think about how elderly I am, I am like everyone else, trying to do my best.”
It will be the fourth Commonwealth Games for 31-year-old Tamsyn Lewis (4x400m relay - an event where he is going for her fourth gold medal), 28 athletes will make their Games debut.
Australian Commonwealth Games Association Chief Executive Mr. Perry Crosswhite said the Games were a great place for young Australian athletes to “'learn to win [against international competition at a major event]. The Commonwealth Games gives them that opportunity [to win] then they go on [to win elsewhere]. That is what happened with Steve Hooker who won at the Commonwealth Games, then went on to win the Olympics and world championships.”
That means the door remains open for two-time world champion Jana Rawlinson, recovering from injury, to defend her 400m and 4x400m relay titles, with places still available in those events. But injury-plagued middle-distance runner Craig Mottram, who also missed the trials, won't have a chance to defend his 2006 silver medal in the 5000m or race the 1500m, with all two places in both events already filled.
Men (42)
Mr. Crosswhite said the ACGA planned to take a team of about 425 athletes – its biggest squad ever sent to an overseas Games. Australia collected 16 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze medals in able-bodied events at the 2006 edition of the Games in Melbourne three years ago.
200m: Matt Davies*
100m: Aaron Rouge-Serret
400m: Ben Offereins, John Steffensen, Joel Milburn.
800m: Lachlan Renshaw and Ryan Gregson.
5000m: Ben St Lawrence, Collis Birmingham and David McNeill.
1500m: Gregson, Jeff Riseley and Jeremy Roff.
400m hurdles: Brendan Cole and Tristan Thomas.
10,000m: Birmingham.
High jump: Liam Zamel-Paez.
Pole vault: Steve Hooker.
Shot put: Scott Martin and Dale Stevenson.
Long jump: Fabrice Lapierre Chris Noffke and Mitchell Watt.
Hammer throw: Tim Driesen and Simon Wardhaugh.
Discus throw: Benn Harradine, Martin and Julian Wruck.
20km walk: Luke Adams, Chris Erickson and Jared Tallent.
Javelin throw: Jarrod Bannister.
T46 100m: Gabriel Cole, Heath Francis and Simon Patmore.
T54 1500m: Richard Colman, Kurt Fearnley and Jake Lappin.
4x100m relay: Davies, Jacob Groth, Patrick Johnson, Isaac Ntiamoah and Rouge-Serret.
F32/34/52 shot put: Damien Bowen and Hamish MacDonald.
Women (27)
4x400m relay: Milburn, Kevin Moore, Offereins, Steffensen and Sean Wroe.
5000m and 10,000m: Eloise Wellings.
100m: Melissa Breen.
100m hurdles: Hayley Butler and Sally McLellan.
400m hurdles: Lauren Boden.
High jump: Ellen Pettitt* and Petrina Price.
Marathon: Lisa Weightman.
Pole vault: Amanda Bisk, Alana Boyd and Liz Parnov.
Shot put: Joanne Mirtschin.
Discus throw: Dani Samuels.
Hammer throw: Karyne di Marco, Bronwyn Eagles and Gabrielle Neighbour.
Javelin throw: Kimberley Mickle and Kathryn Mitchell.
20km walk: Claire Tallent and Cheryl Webb.
T54 1500m: Christie Dawes.
T37 100m: Jodi Elkington.
F32-34/52/53 shot put: Louise Ellery and Brydee Moore.
4x400m relay: Jody Henry, Tamsyn Lewis and Pirrenee Steinert.
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