World record holder Deakes confirmed for Osaka 50km

World 50km walk record holder Nathan Deakes and a women's 4x100m relay squad are the latest additions to the Australian team for the 11th IAAF World Championships to be held in Osaka, Japan from August 25.

Deakes, who has already been selected to race the 20km event, has been selected in the 50km walk. The world record holder is a strong prospect to medal in this event, and has high expectations after the disappointment of being disqualified over 50km in Edmonton in 2001 and also in Athens in 2004 when he was in a break away with the eventual winner. 

The Olympic bronze medallist over 20km and four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist is yet to win a world championships medal, finishing 4^th over 20km in 2001, and missing the 2003 and 2005 editions due to injury.

Making their race walk debut on the World Championships stage will be Victorians Chris Erickson and Duane Cousins.  

Twenty five-year-old Erickson, the Commonwealth Games 50km bronze medallist, will be endeavouring to better the achievements of his father. Tim Erickson, a renowned race walker who also coaches the young protégé, competed in the 1976 World Walk Championships, finishing in 23^rd position in the 50km event. The junior Erickson achieved a new 20km personal best time of 1:24:58 this year in Canberra over the Australia Day weekend.

Joining his VIS counterpart on the flight to Osaka will be two-time national 50km walk champion Duane Cousins. The experienced 33 year-old finished 34^th at the Sydney Olympics, and was agonisingly disqualified at the Commonwealth Games last year after being in medal contention. 

After producing a surprise World Championships qualifier earlier in the month - with the fastest time by an Australian team (43.62 seconds) since 2000 - our women’s 4 x 100m relay squad have put their hand up for selection. Three-time Australian sprint champion Sally McLellan (QLD) will be joined by fellow Commonwealth Games relay bronze medallists Crystal Attenborough (NT) and Melanie Kleeberg (QLD).

The relay squad also includes hurdles specialist Fiona Cullen (QLD), 23 year-old Preya Carey (NSW), who ran the lead leg for the fifth-placed Oceania relay team in the Athens World Cup last year, 26 year-old Amy Harris (QLD) who represented Australia in the relay heats at the 2003 World Championships, West Australian national Under 23 champion Jody Henry, 21, and Tasmanian primary school teacher Melissa Kay, 29, who set a new state record of 11.61 seconds in January. 

Both the men’s and women’s 4 x 100 relay squads will be reduced to six members following a relay camp from June 18 - 24.

There are no marathon selections for either the individual event or IAAF World Marathon Cup. 

Final additions to the team for in-stadium events can be made up to August 13, 2007.

TELSTRA AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS SQUAD
11TH IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
OSAKA, JAPAN
AUGUST 25 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2007

MEN
100m  Joshua Ross (NSW)
200m  Patrick Johnson (AIS), Joshua Ross (NSW)
400m  John Steffensen (WA), Sean Wroe (VIC)
1500m  Mark Fountain (VIC)
5000m  Craig Mottram (VIC)
3000m steeplechase  Youcef Abdi (NSW)
Pole vault  Paul Burgess (WA), Steven Hooker (WA)
Shot put  Scott Martin (VIC)
Javelin  Jarrod Bannister (QLD)
20km walk  Luke Adams (AIS), Nathan Deakes (ACT), Jared Tallent (AIS)
50km walk  Nathan Deakes (AIS), Chris Erickson (VIC), Duane Cousins (VIC)
4x100m relay squad*  Ambrose Ezenwa (NSW) , Adam Miller (AIS), Adrian Mott (VIC), Joshua Ross (NSW), Aaron Rouge-Serret (VIC), Keith Sheehy (SA), Steven Tucker (VIC), Tim Williams (VIC)
4x400m relay squad*  Dylan Grant (QLD), Clinton Hill (AIS), Kurt Mulcahy (NSW), Mark Ormrod (AIS), John Steffensen (WA), Chris Troode (WA), Sean Wroe (VIC)                                               

WOMEN
100m  Sally McLellan (QLD)
1500m  Lisa Corrigan (ACT), Sarah Jamieson (VIC)
5000m  Eloise Wellings (NSW)
10000m  Benita Johnson (VIC)
100mH  Sally McLellan (QLD)
400mH  Jana Rawlinson (NSW)
3000m steeplechase  Donna MacFarlane (TAS), Victoria Mitchell (VIC)
Pole vault  Alana Boyd (QLD), Kym Howe (WA)
Long jump  Bronwyn Thompson (QLD)
Discus  Dani Samuels (NSW)
Heptathlon  Kylie Wheeler (WA)
20km walk  Jane Saville (NSW)
4x100m relay squad*  Sally McLellan (QLD), Crystal Attenborough (NT), Melanie Kleeberg (QLD), Fiona Cullen (QLD), Preya Carey (NSW), Amy Harris (QLD), Jody Henry (WA), Melissa Kay (TAS) 

* Final team (maximum of six athletes per relay) to be confirmed prior to close of IAAF entries in August.