Kimberley Smith (NZL) (© Getty Images)
selection of the Beijing Olympic Games medallists Valerie Vili and Nick Willis which was announced in February, seven more athletes have been added to the initial selection to represent New Zealand at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15 to 23 August).
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Vili will be defending her World Shot Put title won in Osaka in 2007 while Willis has been named for the 800m and 1500m.
Joining these two are Adrian Blincoe, 5000m, James Dolphin, 200m, Stuart Farquhar, Javelin Throw, Brent Newdick, Decathlon, Kimberley Smith, 5000m and 10,000m, Rebecca Wardell, Heptathlon and Monique Williams, 200m and 400m.
Blincoe was a semi-finalist in the 1500m at both Paris and Helsinki; Dolphin reached the quarter finals in the 200m at Paris and Osaka, while Farquhar also competed in Osaka.
It will be the first World championships for Newdick who has been selected as a development athlete. Newdick was fourth in the Decathlon at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
Smith was 15th in the 10,000m in Helsinki improving to fifth in Osaka; Wardell competed in Helsinki in the 400m hurdles. At the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne Wardell finished seventh in the heptathlon.
Williams has also been selected as a development athlete and will be entering her first senior championships after competing at the World Youth Championships in 2001 and the World Junior Championships in 2004.
A further selection will be made on 25 May of athletes to compete in the marathon and World Cup marathon. Any further selections will be announced when the final team is confirmed on 27 July.
Athletics New Zealand
