Joel Milburn captures his first national senior 400m title - Brisbane (© Freelance)
The Australian Olympic Committee has made a further selection of 25 athletes for the 2008 Olympic Games.
More than half of the squad will make their Olympic debut, with 15 debutants named.
Men
400m: Joel Milburn (21, NSW), John Steffensen (25, WA), Sean Wroe (23, VIC)
800m: Lachlan Renshaw (21, NSW)
5000m: Craig Mottram (27, VIC)
4x400m: Joel Milburn (NSW), John Steffensen (WA), Sean Wroe (VIC) Dylan Grant (19, QLD), Clinton Hill (27, ACT)
20km Race Walk: Luke Adams (31, NSW), Jared Tallent (23, VIC)
50km Race Walk: Nathan Deakes (30, VIC), Adam Rutter (21, NSW), Jared Tallent (VIC)
Pole Vault: Steven Hooker (25, WA)
Shot Put: Scott Martin (25, VIC)
Javelin Throw: Jarrod Bannister (23, QLD)
Women
400m: Tamsyn Lewis (29, VIC)
800m: Tamsyn Lewis (VIC), Madeleine Pape (23, VIC)
100m Hurdles: Sally McLellan (21, QLD)
400m Hurdles: Jana Rawlinson (25, NSW)
3000m Steeplechase: Donna MacFarlane (30, TAS)
20km Race Walk: Kellie Wapshott (26, VIC), Claire Woods (26, SA)
Pole Vault: Alana Boyd (23, QLD)
Long Jump: Bronwyn Thompson (30, QLD)
Discus Throw: Dani Samuels (19, NSW)
Heptathlon: Kylie Wheeler (28, WA)
They join 14 athletes who had already been pre-nominated or had gained automatic selection as a result of their performances at the 86th Australian Championships in Brisbane last weekend or the 20km and 50km walk trials.
Fifteen of the 25 athletes will be making their Olympic debut - Jarrod Bannister (QLD), Alana Boyd (QLD), Dylan Grant (QLD), Scott Martin (VIC), Donna MacFarlane (TAS), Sally McLellan (QLD), Joel Milburn (NSW), Madeleine Pape (VIC), Lachlan Renshaw (NSW), Adam Rutter (NSW), Dani Samuels (NSW), Jared Tallent (VIC), Kellie Wapshott (VIC), Claire Woods (SA) and Sean Wroe (VIC).
Currently, Dani Samuels is the youngest athlete at 19 years of age (20 at Games time), whilst Luke Adams is the oldest at 31.
A select group of experienced international athletes, who missed the domestic season due to injury, will be considered for selection if they show a return to form following their recovery:
Paul Burgess (28, WA) - Pole Vault
Kym Howe (27, WA) - Pole Vault
Sarah Jamieson (32, VIC) - 1500m
Jane Saville (33, NSW) – 20km Walk
Another group of athletes have been given additional time to put their case to the selectors. The following athletes have been advised by selectors to seek better performances for further consideration:
Justin Anlezark (30, QLD) - Shot Put
Collis Birmingham (23, VIC) - 5000m
Lisa Corrigan (23, ACT) - 1500m
Robbie Crowther (20, QLD) - Long Jump
Jason Dudley (23, QLD) - Decathlon
Mark Fountain (25, VIC) - 1500m
Benn Harradine (25, VIC) - Discus
Mitch Kealey (24, QLD) - 1500m
Melissa Rollison (24, QLD) – 3000m Steeplechase
Brad Woods (21, NSW) - 1500m
The following athletes will be considered for the remaining place in the men’s 4 x 400m relay squad:
Daniel Batman (27, VIC)
Mark Ormrod (25, SA)
Kurt Mulcahy (18, NSW)
Australia’s sprint contenders have been advised that their current performances have not reached the required standards for either an individual or relay position.
Nominations for the marathon will be made on or before May 19.
A final selectors’ meeting will take place on 23 June, at which time all athletes will be assessed against their ongoing obligations set out in the nomination policy. Those obligations include pre-Olympic form and fitness. Following that assessment, the list of final nominations will be sent to the Australian Olympic Committee on 4 July.
Athletics Australia
