News25 Mar 2005


Australian Team for Marrakech announced

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Long Jumper Chris Nofke of Australia selected to compete in Marrakech (© Getty Images)

seven of Australia’s most promising young athletes were today announced in the largest ever Australian team to compete at the IAAF World Youth Championships to be held in Marrakech, Morocco in July 2005.

The team size is a significant increase on the previous largest team of twenty-nine athletes, and is a direct result of improvement in performances in this age division and reflects Australia’s growing depth in junior athletics.

Not only is the 2005 World Youth Australian team the largest, but looks to be the strongest with five senior national champions selected, Chris Noffke (long jump), Dani Samuels (discus), Katherine Katsanevakis (800m), Sophia Begg (high jump) and Lauren Boden (400m hurdles). The last two Australian World Youth teams have placed sixth overall, and included athletes such as Jana Pittman, Georgie Clarke, Petrina Price and John Thornell.

"Athletics Australia is delighted to make such an investment in the future of the sport by sending our largest team ever of young athletes to the IAAF World Youth Championships in Morocco. We hope these young athletes take great pride in representing their country and see this as the pathway to representing Australia at major Games in the future. Our best wishes go to all the athletes and we will take great pride in their achievements" said Athletics Australia CEO Danny Corcoran.

Ninety percent of this team have emerged from the Australian Youth Olympic Festival held in January 2005, in Sydney. The AYOF program was a tremendous development step for these athletes, who will now compete on the world stage.

Introduced in 1997 by the IAAF, the fourth edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships is open to athletes under 18. At the inaugural World Youth Championships in 1999, 137 countries competed, increasing to 166 countries in 2001, making it a truly global teenage competition. 158 countries contested the 2003 World Youth Championships and that is expected to rise in Marrakech. The 1999 championship was the international starting point for Jana Pittman who won the 400m hurdles.

Men
400m  Tristan Garrett (N)
800m  Nick Toohey (Q)
1500m  Matthew Coloe (V)
110m Hurdles  Lachlan Stanton (Q)
2000m Steeplechase  Ryan Foster (T)
High Jump  Liam Zamel-Paez (Q), Kane Brigg (Q)
Pole Vault  Matt Boyd (Q), Matt Fryer (N)
Long Jump  Chris Noffke (Q), Wally Meekin (W) 
Triple Jump  Scott McLeod-Robertson (Q)
Shot  Joe Stevens (Q), Emanuele Fuamatu (N)
Javelin  Nathan Burgess (V)
Octathlon  Hamish Nelson (V)

Women
100m  Olivia Tauro (N), Jess Gulli (V)
200m  Mim Hill (V), Tauro
400m  Jaimee-Lee Hoebergen (N)*
800m  Katherine Katsanevakis (V), Sianne Toemoe (N)
1500m  Heidi Gregson (N), Lexy Gilmour (N)
100m Hurdles  Tara Holt (N), Gulli 
400m Hurdles  Lauren Boden (A), Kristy Radford (V)
High Jump  Sophia Begg (N), Lauren Ford (V)
Pole Vault  Vicky Parnov (W), Miranda Tiong (W)  
Long Jump  Boden
Triple Jump  Alyisha House* (N)
Shot  Dani Samuels (N)
Discus  Samuels, Kelly Emery (V)
5000m Walk  Tanya Holliday (S)
Heptathlon Amy Sadler (N), Megan Wheatley* (W)
Medley relay  from Tauro, Gulli, Hill, Hoebergen*, Katsanevakis, Boden and Holt

* selected subject to passing a fitness trial

Selections for the Men’s 10,000m Walk will be made after the Australian U20 Championships is held in Brisbane in April.

David Tarbottom for the IAAF

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