23.04.2009

Fifty future stars join National Development Pathway

Fifty athletes have today been named to Athletics Australia’s National Under 17 Development Squad.

Emerging athletes from across the country and a range of athletics disciplines have been selected to the squad, the first step in Athletics Australia’s National Development Pathway.

The 2009 squad includes eight athletes bound for Bressanone, Italy, to contest the 6th IAAF world youth championships in July: Kent Adams (high jump), Damien Birkinhead (shot put), Taryn Gollshewsky (discus throw), Cameron Hyde (110m hurdles), Kurt Jenner (long jump), Shannon Jennings (5000m walk), Amy Pejkovic (high jump) and Brooke Stratton (long jump).

Athletics Australia National Youth Performance Manager Sara Mulkearns said the squad represented an exciting new wave of athletics talent.  

“We’re trying to embrace all the young talent that’s out there and let them know that the national sporting organisation is watching them and impressed by them and wants to encourage them to go forward,” she said.

“We‘ve got a couple of good opportunities coming up with the world junior championships and for the first time the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore but essentially, we want to help create a nice foundation and a good base for these athletes to work from and to build on with the aim of getting them through to the senior level.

“The eight athletes named to the world youth team have a really big year ahead with the Under 17 camp and then leaving for Italy not long after and that’s a great opportunity for them.”

Next month the squad will converge on the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra to take part in a three-day training and development camp.

As part of their involvement in the program the athletes will work in close association across the next 12 months with Athletics Australia’s National Youth Event Coaches.

“We have available to the athletes now our national youth coaches who can network with their personal coaches and assist in any planning or technical coaching and also network with the athletes,” Mulkearns said.

“The idea is to get our high performance staff across the younger athletes and their needs to recognise how we can further help them to develop.”

Athletics Australia congratulates the following athletes selected to the 2009 National Under 17 Development Squad:

Kent Adams WA – High jump
Aiden Anderson NSW – Shot put / discus throw / javelin throw
Iesha Beer QLD – Shot put
Jed Bews VIC – Pole vault
Damien Birkinhead VIC – Shot put / hammer throw
Danielle Byrnes VIC – Shot put / hammer throw
Lisa Celi NSW – 90m hurdles / 400m hurdles
Phoebe Davies NSW – 400m
Kuey Diew QLD – 800m
Jordan Dobson WA – Decathlon
Liam Dwyer ACT – 1500m / 3000m
Chelsea Dyer VIC – Javelin throw
Taryn Gollshewsky QLD – Discus throw
Kristie Goznick SA – Walks
Erin Guy NSW – Long jump
Rachel Hardy NSW – Heptathlon
Nikki Hiscock QLD – 800m / 1500m / 3000m steeplechase
Nicholas Hough NSW – 100m / 200m / 100m hurdles
Cameron Hyde NSW – 100m hurdles
Ben Jaworski NSW – 100m / 200m
Michelle Jenneke NSW – 100m hurdles
Kurt Jenner NSW – Long jump
Shannon Jennings NSW – Walks
Robert Johnston QLD – Hammer throw
Derek Mai SA – 100m / 200m
Rebecca Marchant VIC – Pole vault
Tessa Maroni WA – High jump
Karlie Morton NSW – 100m / 200m
Lindsay Newton-Smith QLD – Decathlon
Liz Parnov WA – Pole vault
Taylor-Shay Payne QLD – Heptathlon
Amy Pejkovic NSW – High jump
Alex Pocklington VIC – Pole vault
Jess Rowe SA – 400m
Talissa Scott NSW – Long jump / 100m hurdles
Shani Sleeman NSW – High jump
Tom Soliman NSW – Long jump
Blake Steel SA – Walks
Brooke Stratton VIC – Long jump / triple jump
Tom Symmons QLD – 800m / 1500m
Rachel Tallent VIC – Walks
Brianna Tisdell NSW – Long jump
Michael Topp QLD – Shot put
Keana Tour-May VIC – 400m / 800m / 1500m
Catherine Van der Walt WA – 800m
Curtis Vella NSW – Javelin throw
Morgan Ward WA – High jump
Ashleigh Whittaker VIC – 100m / 200m
Raheen Williams WA – 100m hurdles / 400m hurdles
Brooke Yarnold NSW – Hammer throw