Australia will bring an enormous team of 75 athletes to the Paris Olympics.
It will be the largest squad they’ve ever taken to an overseas Games, with the 82 athletes they had at Sydney 2000 being the greatest overall.
Australia will contest 39 of the 48 athletics events in Paris, ranging from the 100m and 200m to the inaugural marathon racewalk relay.
Out of the 75-strong cohort, there will be two athletes competing at their fourth Games, 13 at their third, 26 returning for a second Games and 34 athletes making their Olympic debut.
Australia will contest the heptathlon for the first time since Beijing 2008, while the team also includes both a men’s and women’s 4x100m relay squad. The last time that occurred was Sydney 2000.
There are many names to pick out but the women’s field will be spearheaded by Jessica Hull, who at the Paris Diamond League ran 3:50.83 in the 1500m to go fifth on the all-time list.
Australia, on the men’s side, also possess some of the most dangerous 1500m runners in the world, with Oli Hoare, Adam Spencer and Stewart McSweyn selected in the team.
The country isn’t short of quality in the field events either. Olympic silver high jump medallist Nicola Olyslagers and 2022 world champion Eleanor Patterson will battle it out in Paris.
Double world javelin champion and Olympic bronze medallist Kelsey-Lee Barber aims to strike gold but she will have domestic competition from Mackenzie Little and Kathryn Mitchell.
Watch out for the likes of Matthew Denny in the discus, Chris Mitrevski in the long jump and Brandon Starc in the high jump as well.
“I am thrilled to announce the final 55 athletes for the Athletics team for Paris,” Anna Meares, Australian Olympic team Chef de Mission, said. “This is a talented squad, with the total 75-strong team the second biggest Australian Olympic Athletics squad in our history.
“This highlights the great depth nurtured across the country and I want to pay tribute to the entire team at Athletics Australia for delivering a high-performance program that is achieving outstanding results.
“The Athletics team is the largest of any sport and they will contribute greatly to the positive environment of the broader Australian Olympic Team.”
Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley is also confident about their chances in Paris.
“It is an incredibly proud moment to announce any Australian team, but to see one of Australia’s largest and strongest teams heading to the Olympics is something else,” he said.
“With six athletes who medalled at last year’s World Athletics Championships and three medallists from the Tokyo Games, our team exemplifies the strength and depth of Australian athletics. We’re excited to see our athletes test their skills against the best in the world at the pinnacle event.”
Women
100m: Ella Connolly and Bree Masters
200m: Torrie Lewis and Mia Gross
400m: Ellie Beer
800m: Claudia Hollingsworth, Abbey Caldwell and Catriona Bisset
1500m: Jessica Hull, Georgia Griffith and Linden Hall
5000m: Rose Davies, Isobel Batt-Doyle and Lauren Ryan
10,000m: Lauren Ryan
Marathon: Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson and Jessica Stenson
100m Hurdles: Michelle Jenneke, Liz Clay and Celeste Mucci
400m Hurdles: Sarah Carli and Alanah Yukich
3000m Steeplechase: Amy Cashin and Cara Feain-Ryan
20km Racewalk: Rebecca Henderson, Jemima Montag and Olivia Sandery
High Jump: Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson
Pole Vault: Nina Kennedy
Long Jump: Brooke Buschkuehl
Discus Throw: Taryn Gollshewsky
Hammer Throw: Stephanie Ratcliffe
Javelin Throw: Mackenzie Little, Kelsey-Lee Barber and Kathryn Mitchell
Heptathlon: Camryn Newton-Smith and Tori West
4x100m Relay: Connolly, Kristie Edwards, Ebony Lane, Bree Masters, Aleksandra Stoilova, Mia Gross and Torrie Lewis
Marathon Racewalk Relay: Jemima Montag, Rebecca Henderson, Olivia Sandery and Allanah Pitcher (reserve)
Men
100m: Rohan Browning
200m: Calab Law
400m: Reece Holder
800m: Peter Bol, Joseph Deng and Peyton Craig
1500m: Adam Spencer, Oliver Hoare and Stewart McSweyn
5000m: Morgan McDonald and Stewart McSweyn
Marathon: Brett Robinson, Patrick Tiernan and Liam Adams
110m Hurdles: Tayleb Willis
3000m Steeplechase: Matt Clarke and Ben Buckingham
20km Racewalk: Rhydian Cowley, Kyle Swan and Declan Tingay
High Jump: Yual Reath, Brandon Starc and Joel Baden
Pole Vault: Kurtis Marschall
Long Jump: Christopher Mitrevski and Liam Adcock
Triple Jump: Connor Murphy
Discus Throw: Matthew Denny
Javelin Throw: Cameron McEntyre
Decathlon: Ash Moloney and Daniel Golubovic
4x100m Relay: Rohan Browning, Calab Law, Joshua Azzopardi, Jacob Despard, Sebastian Sultana, Lachlan Kennedy and Christopher Ius (reserve)
Marathon Racewalk Relay: Rhydian Cowley, Kyle Swan, Declan Tingay and Will Thompson (reserve).
Source: AW
