2016 IAAF World Under 20 Championship Team Announced

An Australian team of 55 will compete at the  IAAF World Under 20 Championships in Bydgoszcz (POL) from 19-24 July 2016.

Boasting the newly crowned national junior record holder Trae Williams (Qld, 100m, 200m), IAAF World Youth Championships medallists Darcy Roper (Qld, long jump) and Ned Weatherly(Vic, hammer throw) and Youth Olympic Games champion Jessica Thornton (NSW, 400m), the squad includes 48 athletes competing in individual events, as well as the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay and women’s 4x400m relay teams.

“Athletics Australia Selectors are excited to confirm an initial team of 55 for Bydgoszcz 2016. In the wake of so many impressive performances at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships earlier this month, I am confident that the squad will commendably represent the green and gold on the world stage,” Dion Russell, the Athletics Australia Chairman of Selectors, said.

“More than half of those that will compete in individual events were added automatically after performing at a level that saw them select themselves by winning the Selection Trial with a qualifier. This is an excellent result.”

“The IAAF World Under 20 Championships are the pinnacle global athletics competition for junior athletes and I congratulate those selected and look forward to sharing the journey with you all,” Sara Mulkearns, the Athletics Australia Junior High Performance Manager, said.

“I also sincerely thank the families, coaches and support networks of our selected athletes for the work that they do to ensure that our best talent can continue to develop in the sport, as well as the Australian Commonwealth Games Association and Athletics International for their financial contribution to making our programs a reality.”

Excitingly for the future of track and field, 63 athletes achieved a qualifying performance in the allocated Qualification Period, rivalling the 72 athletes in 2014 and 62 athletes in 2012. The number of performances at or better than the Qualification Standard also soared to more than 180 for the third consecutive time which is up from only 97 in 2010.

MEN (24):

100m: Trae Williams (Qld), Jack Hale (Tas)
200m: Trae Williams (Qld)
400m: Lawson Power (Vic)
800m: Lachlan Barber (Vic), Joseph Deng (Qld)
1500m: Matthew Ramsden (WA), Isaac Hockey (Vic)
5000m: Matthew Ramsden (WA)
110m hurdles: Nicholas Andrews (NSW), Jacob McCorry (NSW)
High jump: Josh Connolly (Qld), John Dodds (Qld)
Pole vault: Kurtis Marschall (SA), Angus Armstrong (NSW)
Long jump: Darcy Roper (Qld), Shemaiah James (Qld)
Triple jump: Julian Konle (WA)
Hammer throw: Ned Weatherly (Vic), Nathan Wilkins (Qld)
Javelin: Conor Warren (Qld), Matthew Rees (NSW)
10,000m walk: Adam Garganis (Vic), Tyler Jones (NSW)
4x100m relay: Trae Williams (Qld), Jack Hale (Tas), Nicholas Andrews (NSW), Cameron Searle (Vic), Brandon Herrigan (Qld), Lachlan McDermott (WA)

WOMEN (32):

100m: Sam Geddes (NSW)
200m: Maddison Coates (Vic), Nicole Kay (Qld)
400m: Jessica Thornton (NSW), Molly Blakey (NSW)
800m: Sarah Billings (Vic), Georgia Hansen (Vic)
1500m: Amy Harding-Delooze (NSW), Lauren Ryan (Vic)
3000m: Lauren Ryan (Vic), Amelia Mazza-Downie (Vic)
5000m: Annabel McDermott (NSW)
100m hurdles: Celeste Mucci (Vic), Gabriella O’Grady (NSW)
400m hurdles: Alanah Yukich (WA)
3000m steeplechase: Beth Croft (NSW), Georgia Winkcup (NSW)
High jump: Alysha Burnett (NSW)
Pole vault: Nina Kennedy (WA), Emma Philippe (WA)
Discus throw: Kirsty Williams (Qld), Bianca Hansen (Vic)
Hammer throw: Alex Hulley (NSW)
Javelin: Kathryn Brooks (Vic)
10,000m walk: Tayla-Paige Billington (Vic), Clara Smith (Qld)
4x100m relay: Sam Geddes (NSW), Nicole Kay (Qld), Nana-Adoma Owosu-Afriyie (Vic), Kyla King (NSW), Gabriella O’Grady (NSW), Luisa Healey (NSW)
4x400m relay: Jessica Thornton (NSW), Molly Blakey (NSW), Olivia Cason (NSW), Sophia Fighera (Vic), Alanah Yukich (WA), Sarah Billings (Vic)