Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus edges Lauryn Williams of the US to take the 100m gold in Athens (© Getty Images)
Reigning Olympic 100m champion Yuliya Nesterenko (Nestsiarenka), 2000 Shot Put champion Yanina Korolchik-Pravalinskaya (Karolchyk), and triple World Hammer Throw champion Ivan Tikhon (Tsikhan) head the Belarus team for Beijing.
Notably in the team line-up there is also the Olympic Discus Throw champion from Sydney 2000, Ellina Zvereva who will celebrate in November her 48th birthday.
Belarus for the first time in its history sends a big team of 50 athletes with the target of five medals.
National team coach Anatoly Baduev commented that, “the majority of the team are young athletes aiming at the 2012 Olympic Games. This time we are expecting medals from hammer thrower Ivan Tsikhan, shot putters Nadzeya Ostapchuk and Natallia Mikhnevich, Natalia’s husband Andrei Mikhnevich, the 2003 World Shot Put champion, and also World Race Walk silver medallist Rita Turova.”
“We hope women’s hammer thrower Aksana Miankova and Decathlete Andrei Krauchanka will also show good results.”
Mikhail Dubitski for the IAAF
Belarus Olympic Team
Men
Marathon - Andrei Gordeev
110m h - Maksim Lynsha
Triple Jump - Dzmitry Platnitski
Shot Put – Andrei Mikhnevich, Pavel Lyzhyn, Yury Bialou
Discus Throw - Dzmitry Sivakou
Hammer Throw - Ivan Tsikhan, Vadim Devyatovskiy, Valeriy Sviatokha
Javelin Throw - Vladimir Kozlov
Decathlon - Andrei Krauchanka, Aliaksandr Parkhomenka, Mikalai Shubianok
20km Race Walk - Ivan Trotskiy, Siarhei Charnou, Dzianis Simanovich
50km Race Walk - Andrei Stepanchuk
Women
100m - Yulia Nestsiarenka
4x100 Relay - Yulia Nestsiarenka , Hanna Bahdanovich, Aksana Drahun, Nastassia Shuliak, Yauhenia Valadzko, Volha Astashka
400m - Ilona Usovich
4x400m relay - Sviatlana Usovich, Ilona Usovich, Anna Kozak, Yulyana Yushchanka, Iryna Khliustava, Katsiaryna Bobryk
800m - Sviatlana Usovich
5000m - Volha Krautsova
100m h - Katsiaryna Paplauskaya
Long Jump - Volha Sergeenka, Iryna Charnushenka-Stasiuk
Triple Jump - Kseniya Pryiemka
Shot Put - Nadzeya Ostapchuk, Natallia Mikhnevich, Yanina Karolchyk-Pravalinskaya
Discus Throw - Iryna Yatchenko, Ellina Zvereva, Hanna Mazgunova
Javelin Throw - Natallia Shymchuk, Maryna Novik
Hammer Throw- Aksana Miankova, Darya Pchelnik, Maryia Smaliachkova
Heptathlon - Yana Maksimava
20km Race Walk - Rita Turova, Elena Ginko, Sniazhana Yurchanka
