13.08.2009

Final team of 46 to form first Australian Flame

As athletes pull together their final preparations for the 12th edition of the IAAF world championships which commence in Berlin on Saturday, Athletics Australia has finalised the 46-strong team that will form the inaugural Australian Flame.

The Australian Flame, boosted by Beijing Olympic medallists Steve Hooker (team captain), Sally McLellan and Jared Tallent, is a mix of experience and youth with 26 team members making their world championships debut.

In their final opportunity to gain village entry, Petrina Price (high jump) and Youcef Abdi (3000m steeplechase) have both posted impressive results over the weekend and will now look towards continuing this form on the main arena.

Price, who was chasing a 1.91m jump to secure her Australian team berth, surpassed the required height at a meet in Cottbus to record a new 1.94m personal best taking her to No. 5 on the Australian all-time list. The 25-year-old is now just four centimeters off the 1.98m Australian record held by Vanessa Browne-Ward (1989) and Alison Inverarity (1994).

In the same meet, Abdi picked up the B-qualifying time he required to secure his world championships position, finishing second in 8:31.85.

Unfortunately, national 400m hurdles champion Tamsyn Lewis narrowly missed out on the qualifying mark in her individual trial, but the 31-year-old will remain with the team in Berlin as part of the women’s 4x400m relay squad.

Up-and-coming sprinter Melissa Breen also fell short and will return to Australia with Perth-based pole vaulter Paul Burgess, who withdrew last week.

To be staged from August 15 – 23, more than 2500 athletes from 202 nations will congregate in Germany’s capital to contest the biggest event on the 2009 international sporting calendar.

The large Australian Flame team is part of a four-year strategy to introduce as many high performance athletes to the pressures of world-class athletics ahead of the London Olympics.

The 46-strong Australian team that will contest the 12th IAAF world championships is as follows:

Men (32)    
400m: Joel Milburn (23, NSW), John Steffensen (26, NSW), Sean Wroe (24, Vic)
1500m: Jeff Riseley (22, Vic), Jeremy Roff (24, NSW), Ryan Gregson (19, NSW)
5000m: Collis Birmingham - TBC (24, Vic)
10,000m: David McNeill (22, Vic), Birmingham - TBC
400m hurdles: Tristan Thomas (23, Tas), Brendan Cole (28, ACT)
3000m steeplechase: Youcef Abdi (31, NSW)
20km walk: Luke Adams (32, NSW), Adam Rutter (22, NSW), Jared Tallent (24, Vic)
50km walk: Adams, Chris Erickson (27, Vic), Tallent
World Marathon Cup: Martin Dent (30, ACT), Andrew Letherby (35, Vic), Mark Tucker (29, Vic), Scott Westcott (33, NSW)
Pole vault: Steven Hooker (27, WA)
Long jump: Fabrice Lapierre (25, NSW), Mitchell Watt (21, Qld)
Triple jump: Alwyn Jones (24, Vic)
Shot put: Justin Anlezark (31, Qld), Scott Martin (26,Vic)
Discus throw: Benn Harradine (26, Vic)
4x100m relay: Anthony Alozie (22, Vic), Matt Davies (24, Qld), Patrick Johnson (36, Qld), Joshua Ross (28, Vic), Aaron Rouge-Serret (21, Vic)
4x400m relay: Milburn, Steffensen, Thomas, Wroe, Ben Offereins (22, WA)
    
Women (14)   
800m: Madeleine Pape (25, Vic)
100m hurdles: Sally McLellan (22, Qld)
3000m steeplechase: Donna MacFarlane (32, Tas)
20km walk: Jessica Rothwell (20, Vic), Claire Tallent (28, SA), Cheryl Webb (32, NSW)
Marathon: Lisa Weightman (30, Vic)
High jump: Petrina Price (25, NSW)
Discus throw: Dani Samuels (21, NSW)
Javelin throw: Kimberley Mickle (24, WA)
4x400m relay: Tamsyn Lewis (31, Vic), Jodie Henry (24, WA), Pape, Caitlin Pincott (26, Qld), Pirrenee Steinert (24, NSW)