Athletics New Zealand announce largest ever team to World Junior Track & Field Champs

Athletics New Zealand has announced it’s largest ever team to compete at a World Junior Track & Field Championships.

Twenty three athletes have been named by Athletics New Zealand’s selectors in the team to compete at the 2010 World Junior Championships to be held in Moncton, Canada in July. The team includes eight athletes who represented New Zealand at the at the World Youth Championships in Italy in 2009.

Rio 2016 Performance Project Manager and Team Leader for Moncton, Terry Lomax said “This year we have increased the selection standards for the championships and are very pleased in the way athletes have responded to the challenge.”

Kevin Ankrom, Athletics New Zealand High Performance Director, said “I am very encouraged by the number of athletes that have qualified for the 2010 World Junior Championships. I would like to congratulate the athletes and coaches for their efforts stepping up to the challenge of a higher standard and performance expectation. This is the biggest team New Zealand has ever sent to a World Junior Championships and it has a good range of qualifiers in different event areas. The structures and pathways that the High Performance department and the Rio 2016 programme have put in place have certainly supported the qualifying efforts and results made by our athletes. SPARC’s High Performance funding has allowed us to create the necessary support programmes and activities which are critical for this age group. More importantly, the funding from SPARC has allowed us to invest into developing a pipeline of success. This is great for our sport and we certainly believe that this is our next wave of future Olympians.”

Women
Kristie Baillie (Waikato BOP) 400m
Kerry Charlesworth (Auckland) Pole Vault
Rebekah Greene (Otago) 3000m/1500m
Siositina Hakeai (Auckland) Discus
Elizabeth Lamb (Auckland) High Jump
Leesa Lealaisalanoa (Wellington) Discus
Caroline Mellsop (Manawatu/Wanganui) 3000mSC
Laura Nagel (Hawkes Bay/Gisborne) 3000m
Hannah Newbould (Canterbury) 1500m
Keeley O'Hagan (Wellington) High Jump
Anna Roche (Wellington) 800m
Angela Smit (Canterbury) 800m


Men
Glen Ballam (Southland) 800m
Scott Burch (Manawatu/Wanganui) 400m/4x400m
Michael Cochrane (Waikato BOP) 400mH/110mH
Jacko Gill (Auckland) Shot put
Alex Jordan (Tasman) 400m /4x400m
Joseph Millar (Waikato BOP) 200m/4x400m
Aaron Pulford (Waikato BOP) 10,000m
Matthew Robinson (Southland) 4x400m
Tama Toki (Auckland) 4x400m
Tom Walsh (Canterbury) Shot put
Frazer Wickes (Auckland) 400m/4x400m

Team coaches will be announced shortly.