| Anticipation ahead of the Olympic Games has reached fever pitch, with the Australian Olympic Committee confirming the selection of a 61-strong athletics section for Rio 2016.
To be led by Team Captain, the London 2012 Olympic champion Jared Tallent (SA), alongside the Athletics Leadership Group of Kim Mickle (WA), Alana Boyd (Qld), Lauren Wells (ACT) and Chris Erickson (Vic), the squad boasts the perfect mix of youth and experience.
The athletics section features 40 debutants, including decathlete Cedric Dubler (Qld), sprinters Ella Nelson (NSW) and Joshua Clarke (NSW) and national long jump record holder Brooke Stratton (Vic). Kurtis Marschall (SA) and Jessica Thornton (NSW), will arrive in the host city after competition at the IAAF World Under 20 Championships.
A testament to the impressive depth of talent Australian athletics enjoys today, a record 58 athletes will compete in individual events. This is the largest ever at an Olympic Games hosted on foreign soil.
Congratulations to all selected team members, their coaches and support networks of family and friends, as well as the athletics clubs, Little Athletics centres and training groups that have contributed to the development of Australia’s promising athletics section for Rio 2016.
MEN (30):
100m: Josh Clarke (NSW)
200m: Alexander Hartmann (Qld)
800m: Peter Bol (Vic), Luke Mathews (Vic), Jeff Riseley (Vic)
1500m: Ryan Gregson (Vic), Luke Mathews (Vic)
5000m: Sam McEntee (Vic), Patrick Tiernan (Qld), Brett Robinson (Vic)
10,000m: David McNeill (Vic), Ben St Lawrence (NSW)
Marathon: Liam Adams (Vic), Michael Shelley (Qld), Scott Westcott (NSW)
20km walk: Dane Bird-Smith (Qld), Rhydian Cowley (Vic), Jared Tallent (SA)
50km walk: Chris Erickson (Vic), Jared Tallent (SA), Brendon Reading (ACT)
Long jump: Henry Frayne (Qld), Fabrice Lapierre (NSW)
High jump: Joel Baden (Vic), Brandon Starc (NSW)
Pole vault: Kurtis Marschall (SA)
Shot put: Damien Birkinhead (Vic)
Discus throw: Matthew Denny (Qld), Benn Harradine (Qld)
Javelin: Hamish Peacock (Tas), Joshua Robinson (Qld)
Decathlon: Cedric Dubler (Qld)
 WOMEN (31):
100m: Melissa Breen (ACT)
200m: Ella Nelson (NSW)
400m: Morgan Mitchell (Vic), Anneliese Rubie (NSW)
800m: Selma Kajan (NSW)
1500m: Jenny Blundell (Vic), Zoe Buckman (Vic), Linden Hall (Vic)
5000m: Madeline Hills (NSW), Genevieve LaCaze (Vic), Eloise Wellings (NSW)
10,000m: Eloise Wellings (NSW)
100m hurdles: Michelle Jenneke (NSW)
400m hurdles: Lauren Wells (ACT)
3000m steeplechase: Madeline Hills (NSW), Genevieve LaCaze (Qld), Victoria Mitchell (NSW)
Marathon: Milly Clark (NSW), Jessica Trengove (SA), Lisa Weightman (Vic)
20km walk: Tanya Holliday (SA), Regan Lamble (Vic), Rachel Tallent (Vic)
Long jump: Chelsea Jaensch (Qld), Brooke Stratton (Vic)
High jump: Eleanor Patterson (Vic)
Pole vault: Alana Boyd (Qld)
Discus throw: Dani Samuels (NSW)
Javelin throw: Kim Mickle (WA), Kathryn Mitchell (Vic), Kelsey-Lee Roberts (ACT)
4x400m relay: Monica Brennan (Vic), Morgan Mitchell (Vic), Anneliese Rubie (NSW), Caitlin Sargent-Jones (Qld), Jessica Thornton (NSW), Lauren Wells (ACT)
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