05.10.2006

Australia Select 42 Athletes for the IAAF Oceania Championships

Athletics Australia is pleased to announce the selection of 42 athletes in the team for the 8th IAAF Oceania Open and Under 18 Championships to be held in Apia, Samoa in December.

Most of the athletes will compete in the Oceania Grand Prix in Suva, Fiji (on December 9th and 11th), before taking a charter flight to Samoa to compete in the Oceania Championships on December 14-16.

The team is a combination of Australian�s who live above the 26th parallel, are Indigenous, or live remotely and therefore have limited access to regular competitions. The aim of the competition is to provide a valuable international competition experience to these developing athletes. The team also includes 10 Indigenous athletes from most states in Australia.

First held in 1990, the championships are held bi-annually in nations of the Oceania region. This year the championships will be held in Apia, Samoa. Previous editions have been held in 1990 Suva (FIJ), 1994 Auckland (NZL), 1996 Townsville (AUS), 1998 Nuku'alofa (TGA), 2000 Adelaide (AUS), 2002 Christchurch (NZL) and 2004 Townsville (AUS).

Leading athletes in the 2006 Australian team include North Queensland�s Kristen Faint, who is a previous gold medallist at the 2002 and 2004 Championships. Faint who previously won the Under-18 hammer throw, will in 2006 contest the open division. Peter Tuccandidgee, who was a 400m medallist at the 2004 Championships in a fine 48.14, will compete in the 200m in 2006. All rounder Nathan Baart, winner of the Pentathon in 2004, will contest the new event, the Octathlon, and start a hot favourite for gold. Another outstanding all rounder in the team is currently Australian under-17 javelin champion, Jamie Keehan. A finalised at the World School Games, Keehan will compete in the under-18 javelin, 110m hurdles and long jump.

Numerous stars of the future have emerged from the Oceania Championships. In 2004, Robbie Crowther, a little known athlete from Bowen (north Qld) won three jumps, the long jump, triple jump and high jump. Less than two years later, he became the finest junior long jumper in Australian history by winning the World Junior title and breaking the Australian Under 20 record.

A two-time Oceania Championships sprint winner in the �90s was Bindee Johnson (nee Goonchew) who was recently featured on the documentary about Australia�s Skeleton team for the 2006 Torino Olympics. Other Australian internationals have included Lisa Corrigan (Commonwealth Games) and Renee Robson (World Juniors and World uni Games). New Zealand�s World Championship representatives, Chantal Brunner (LJ) and Jane Arnott (400m) have been amongst other previous winners.

Melbourne Commonwealth Games representatives, Kyle Vander-Kuyp (110m hurdles) and Benn Harradine (discus) will be the team Captains, filling a role of mentors and assistant coaches. Both, who are Indigenous athletes, have been assisting Athletics Australia�s indigenous program in recent years and will be excellent role models for the team members.

The 19 Oceania nations are:
AMERICAN SAMOA, AUSTRALIA, COOK ISLANDS, FIJI, FRENCH POLYNESIA, GUAM, Republic of KIRIBATI, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MICRONESIA, NEW ZEALAND, NORFOLK ISLAND, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Rep of NAURU � Pacific, Rep of PALAU � Pacific, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TONGA, VANUATU and SAMOA.

Australian Team for the
IAAF Oceania Open and U18 Championships

* Indigenous athlete

Athletes
OPEN
MEN
100m *Duan Daley (N), *Otis Gowa (Q), Lars Hansen (Q)
200m *Daley, *Peter Tuccandidgee (Q), Hansen
400m Jackson Mallory (Q), Jay Stone (N), *Peter Harrison (V)
800m Anthony McCourt (N)
5000m Brendan Whelan (Q)
6km Cross Country Whelan, Om Halliday (Q)
Half Marathon Claydon, Whelan
400m Hurdles Beau Harris (Q)
3000m Steeplechase Halliday
Pole Vault Nathan Baart (Q)
Long Jump Stone, Robert Hooper (Q), *Nathaniel Franklin (W)
Shot Baart
Discus *Brendan Peeters (Q)
Octathlon Baart, Peeters
4x100m relay From *Daley, *Gowa, Hansen, Mallory, *Harrison, Stone, *Tuccandidgee
Medley Relay From *Daley, *Gowa, Hansen, Mallory, Stone, *Harrison, *Tuccandidgee

WOMEN
400m Alyssa Taylor (Q), Chloe Butler (Q)
400m Hurdles Butler, Taylor
High Jump *Casey Narrier (W)
Shot *Tammy Martin (Q), Danielle Volling-Geoghegan (Q), Kirsten Faint (Q)
Discus Volling-Geoghegan, K Faint
Javelin *Martin, Rachel Phillips (Q)
Hammer K Faint, Jacinta Faint (Q)

Under 18
MEN
100m Michael Gordon (Q), *Tennyson Strong (N), James Buckby (Q)
200m Buckby, Scott Campbell (NT), *Joshua Ahwong (Q)
400m *Ahwong, Buckby, Garth Small (NT)
800m Small, *Ahwong, Blake Skelhorn
1500m Small
3000m Small
3km Cross Country Small
110m Hurdles Jamie Keehn (Q), Evan Rice (N)
400m Hurdles Rice
High Jump Joshua Hall (Q)
Long Jump Gordon, Keehn
Triple Jump Gordon
Discus Thomas McGuire (Q), Andrew Britton (Q)
Shot Blake Skelhorn (Q)
Javelin Keehn, Skelhorn
Hammer Thomas McGuire
4x100m relay From Hansen, Buckby, *Strong, Gordon, Keehn, *Ahwong, Campbell
Medley Relay From Hansen, Buckby, *Strong, Small, Keehn, Rice, Gordon, *Ahwong

WOMEN
100m Jennifer Tagney (Q), Bessie Hayes (Q)
200m Tagney, Sarah Busby (Q)
400m Jane Merry (Q), Rebecca Jenner (Q)
800m Jenner, Merry
Long Jump Katie-Marie Cox (Q)
Triple Jump Cox
Javelin *Shakira Winmar (V)
4x100m relay From Tagney, Hayes, Merry, Jenner, Cox, Busby
Medley Relay From Tagney, Hayes, Merry, Jenner, Cox, Busby

Staff
Manager Sally McGrady (V)
Coaching Coordinator Terry West (N)
Assistant Manager/Coach John Palmer (Q)
Coach Cheryl Dixon (Q)
Captains Kyle Vander-Kuyp (V), Benn Harradine (V)
(& assistant Coaches)

For further media information, please contact:

David Culbert � Athletics Australia Media
0417 242 641 or david@jumpmedia.com.au

Michelle Cook � Athletics Australia Media
0430 177 668 or michelle@jumpmedia.com.au