News
From Beijing to Berlin
As a result of their outstanding performances at the Beijing Olympic Games, six talented athletes, Steve Hooker (pole vault), Sally McLellan (100m hurdles), Jared Tallent (20km and 50km walk), Luke Adams (20km walk), Jarrod Bannister (javelin) and Youcef Abdi (3000m steeplechase), have been pre-selected into the Australian team for the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin.
Selectors also named the 50km walk team, confirming that Chris Erickson had been automatically selected following his victory and ‘A’ qualifier at the national championships in Melbourne two weeks ago.
Fellow AIS walker and reigning world 50km walk champion Nathan Deakes was also named, whilst selectors used their discretion to nominate Luke Adams who will now compete in both the 20km and 50km events alongside Jared Tallent.
In order to be pre-selected into the Australian team, athletes had to finish in the top eight at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Hooker cemented his place in history in Beijing, setting a new Olympic record (5.96m) on his way to claiming the gold medal. It was the first time an Australian athlete had won a field event gold medal since 1948 and the first Australian Olympic gold by any male track and field event since 1968.
McLellan won Australia’s first ever Olympic medal in the 100m hurdles. With a perfectly timed dip at the finishing line, she won the silver medal in a race in which only three hundredths of a second separated places second to sixth.
Tallent finished with two medals in his Olympic debut - silver in the 50km and bronze in the 20km walk - becoming the first Australian male since 1906 to win two medals at the Games.
Although he injured his elbow on his third attempt in the javelin final and was unable to continue in the competition, Bannister’s first round throw of 83.45m was enough to secure sixth place, the highest place and best throw ever by an Australian at an Olympic Games.
Adams placed an impressive sixth in the 20km walk in Beijing and Abdi also finished sixth in the 3000m steeplechase final in the fastest time ever by an Australian at the Olympics.
Athletics Australia chairman of selectors, Peter Fitzgerald confirmed that it was in the athletes’ best interests to select them now, however re-iterated that all athletes must compete in Australia’s domestic season and display adequate fitness and form prior to boarding the plane to Berlin.
“All of the pre-selected athletes have a realistic chance of producing a medal at the 2009 world championships. The pre-selection clause enables athletes to focus on preparing for Berlin now, rather than having to wait until after the selection trials in March,” Fitzgerald said.
“However, athletes identified for pre-selection are required to meet all of the ongoing obligations set out in Athletics Australia’s nomination policy.
“These requirements include participation in Athletics Australia’s domestic season events, including the Track Classic in Sydney and the World Athletics Tour meeting in Melbourne, along with the National Championships in Brisbane.
“They must also be able to maintain their fitness and form prior to the world championships, otherwise they will not be departing for Berlin.”
The selection trials for the 2009 world championships will be held in conjunction with the 87th Australian Athletics Championships from March 19 - 21 at QSAC in Nathan, Brisbane.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters to keep up to date with Athletics in Australia.
More Headlines
_stack_WEB_4e0d093feac62.jpg)
