Olympic champ, Gout Gout headline record Aussie team for world athletics champs


Olympic champ, Gout Gout headline record Aussie team for world athletics champs

A record 88 athletes, including a slew of gold medal hopes and teen sprint sensation Gout Gout, have been locked in for the Australian team for this month's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

It includes Olympic gold medallist Nina Kennedy who has made a stunning return from injury, including several hamstring strains, to take her place.

But reigning Commonwealth Games 1500m champion Olli Hoare has been left out after struggling for form since his victory in Glasgow in 2022.

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Fresh off her victory in the Diamond League final, dual Olympic medal-winning high jumper Nicola Olyslagers, among those expected to compete for gold, said there was no limit on what she could achieve in Tokyo.

"This season has been a great build-up for Tokyo. I do want to do another personal best, but I haven't put a limit on what that is because I want to trust God for the greater heights," said Olyslagers, who set a new national record of 2.04m in Zurich last week.

"My life changed forever the last time I competed in Tokyo for the Olympics (where she won silver), so even sharing that stadium this time with my family and friends will be a moment I'll never forget."

Having set the athletics world alight, Gout, who doesn't turn 18 until September, has been named to compete in the 200m in his national senior team debut, with Joshua Azzopardi and Rohan Browning set to fly the flag in the 100m.

Torie Lewis will also double up in the women's 100m and 200m and for the first time, all five national relay teams qualified to compete.

Matthew Denny, who delivered the second-largest discus throw in history this year, is among the strong medal contenders along with Jessica Hull, who will double in the 800m and 1500m, and 2022 world high jump champion Eleanor Patterson.

Australian Athletics high performance boss Andrew Faichney said expectations were high for the biggest team ever assembled for a world championships on the back of strong form from the likes of Olyslagers and Hull on the world stage this year.

"We've witnessed a real shift, not just in performance, but in national relevance," Faichney said.

"This team reflects that change. They're world-class athletes with the results to match, but just as importantly, they're carrying the momentum of a sport that has so much belief behind it.

"From podiums to grassroots, we're seeing the influence of this generation of athletes. They're showing what's possible and I'm looking forward to seeing them carry the flag for Australia in just a few weeks' time."

The 2025 World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo from September 13-21.

High jump: Yual Reath, Brandon Starc, Roman Anastasios

Marathon: Andrew Buchanan, Tim Vincent, Liam Boudin

20km race walk: Rhydian Cowley, Declan Tingay, Tim Fraser

35km race walk: Cowley, Will Thompson, Mitchell Baker

4x100m relay: Azzopardi, Jacob Despard, Christopher Ius, Law, Browning, Connor Bond

4x400m relay: Holder, Sherman, Aidan Murphy, Thomas Reynolds, Terrell Thorne, Luke van Ratingen, Augustine Nketia Jr

800m: Abbey Caldwell, Claudia Hollingsworth, Jessica Hull

1500m: Sarah Billings, Linden Hall, Hull

5000m: Rose Davies, Hall, Georgia Griffith, Lauren Ryan (one to be omitted after appeal)

High jump: Nicola Olyslagers, Eleanor Patterson, Emily Whelan

20km race walk: Rebecca Henderson, Elizabeth McMillen, Alexandra Griffin

35km race walk: Olivia Sandery, Henderson, Allanah Pitcher

Heptathlon: Camryn Newton-Smith, Tori West

4x100m relay: Connolly, Edwards, Lewis, Rizzo, Georgia Harris, Leah O'Brien

4x400m relay: Beer, Yukich, Gross, Carla Bull, Jemma Pollard, Carli, Amelia Rowe

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