News26 Aug 2014


Adams and Barshim lead Asia-Pacific team for IAAF Continental Cup

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Valerie Adams in action at the IAAF Continental Cup (© Getty Images)

The Asian Athletics Association and Oceania Athletics today announced the Asia-Pacific team for the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup to be held in Marrakech, Morocco on 13-14 September.

The team includes world champion Valerie Adams, who will travel to Marrakech as the defending Continental Cup shot put champion.

As a 17-year-old, Adams arrived at the 2002 IAAF World Cup in Madrid with a shot put best of 17.73m. “My first World Cup was in 2002 and I have very fond memories of it,” recalled Adams, who placed sixth on that occasion with 18.40m. “I threw a massive PB and it was the first time competing against the big girls. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the team was amazing.”

She went on to win in 2006 and 2010 and has now been selected for the 2014 event. “I am looking forward to representing Oceania and Asia-Pacific with pride.”

Only a few athletes have won three World/Continental Cup titles and Adams will start as favourite in Marrakech to join this select group that includes the likes of US 400m hurdler Edwin Moses.

Aside from Adams, the Asia-Pacific team has several strong team members, including world indoor high jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, Commonwealth javelin champion Kim Mickle and former world discus champion Dani Samuels.

At the last Continental Cup, held in Split, Croatia in 2010, the Asia-Pacific team were locked in a battle with Africa for third place. The very last event, the men’s 4x400m relay, decided third place, with Africa utlimately edging Asia-Pacific.

“The Oceania area is once again delighted to join forces with the Asian area for the 2014 Continental Cup,” said Yvonne Mullins, executive director of Oceania Athletics. “The selection of this year’s team has been far smoother than in 2010 when we were in our first combined Asia-Pacific team. This year we are hoping to take it up to the other teams and be highly competitive, with a number of world, Olympic and Commonwealth champions making up our final team selection.”

David Tarbotton for the IAAF

Asia-Pacific team

Men
100m: Femi Ogunode (QAT), Zhang Peimeng (CHN)
200m: Masafumi Naoki (JPN), Ogunode
400m: Yuzo Kanemaru (JPN), Yousef Ahmed Masrahi (KSA)
800m: Abdulrahman Musaeb Bala (QAT), Jeffrey Riseley (AUS)
1500m: Benson Seurei (BRN), Nick Willis (NZL)
3000m: Aweke Ayalew (BRN), Willis
5000m: Zane Robertson (NZL), Albert Rop (BRN)
3000m steeplechase: Ali Abubaker Kamal (QAT), John Koech (BRN)
110m hurdles: Abdulaziz Al-Mandeel (KUW), Xie Wenjun (CHN)
400m hurdles: Michael Cochrane (NZL), Takayuki Kishimoto (JPN)
High jump: Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT), Zhang Guowei (CHN)
Pole vault: Joel Pocklington (AUS), Xue Changrui (CHN)
Long jump: Henry Frayne (AUS), Li Jinzhe (CHN)
Triple jump: Cao Shuo (CHN), Renjith Maheswary (IND)
Shot put: Sultan Abdulmajeed Al-Hebshi (KSA), Tom Walsh (NZL)
Discus: Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi (KSA), Benn Harradine (AUS)
Hammer: Mohammed Ali Al-Zankawi (KUW), Dilshod Nazarov (TJK)
Javelin: Joshua Robinson (AUS), Ivan Zaytsev (UZB)
4x100m: Masaharu Mori (JPN), Masafumi Naoki (JPN), Yu Onabuta (JPN), Kazuma Oseto (JPN), Kotaro Taniguchi (JPN)
4x400m: Yuzo Kanemaru (JPN), Takamasa Kitagawa (JPN), Naoki Kobayashi (JPN), Julian Jrummi Walsh (JPN), Kaisei Yui (JPN)

Women
100m: Melissa Breen (AUS), Olga Safronova (KAZ)
200m: Breen, Safronova
400m: Louise Jones (NZL), Anneliese Rubie (AUS)
800m: Tintu Luka (IND), Angela Smit (NZL)
1500m: Mimi Belete (BRN), Selma Kajan (AUS)
3000m: Belete, Yuika Mori (JPN)
5000m: Tejitu Daba (BRN), Eloise Wellings (AUS)
3000m steeplechase: Ruth Jebet (BRN), Stella Radford (AUS)
100m hurdles: Sarah Cowley (NZL), Ayako Kimura (JPN)
400m hurdles: Kemi Adekoya (BRN), Lauren Wells (AUS)
High jump: Sarah Cowley (NZL), Svetlana Radzivil (UZB)
Pole vault: Alana Boyd (AUS), Li Ling (CHN)
Long jump: Margaret Gayen (AUS), Lu Minjia (CHN)
Triple jump: Linda Leverton (AUS), Li Yanmei (CHN)
Shot put: Valerie Adams (NZL), Gong Lijiao (CHN)
Discus: Dani Samuels (AUS), Yang Yanbo (CHN)
Hammer: Wang Zheng (CHN), Natalie Debeljuh (AUS)
Javelin: Kimberley Mickle (AUS), Zhang Li (CHN)
4x100m: Yuki Jimbo (JPN), Yuki Miyazawa (JPN), Mizuki Nakamura (JPN), Maho Takamori (JPN), Tomoka Tsuchihashi (JPN)
4x400m: Kendra Hubbard (AUS), Lyndsay Pekin (AUS), Anneliese Rubie (AUS), Jessica Thornton (AUS), Lauren Wells (AUS)
Reserve: Alex Hulley

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