Another 53 Team Members have been selected for the Australian Athletics Team ready to take on the Commonwealth’s best in Birmingham.
The Australian athletics team for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has been significantly bolstered, with 53 track and field athletes added to the squad.
The new selections boost the Australian Athletics team to a total of 85 competitors, comprising 69 able-bodied athletes and 16 Para-athletes.
Among those named today are reigning Commonwealth champion Kathryn Mitchell (javelin) and marathoner Eloise Wellings, who will become the first Australian first track and field athletes to compete at five Commonwealth Games.
The team also include Gold Coast 2018 gold medallist Brandon Starc (high jump), Tokyo 2020 breakthrough star Rohan Browning (100m), as well as a bevy of Games medallists, including long jumpers Henry Frayne and Brooke Buschkuehl (nee Stratton), Alexandra Hulley (hammer throw) and Jessica Stenson (nee Trengove).
For two-time Olympian Eloise Wellings, 39, a fifth Commonwealth Games appearance is a monumental milestone in a career that has covered 24 years on the international stage.
This will be her first Australian team appearance since the birth of her second child in 2019 and her first as a marathoner after scaling up from middle distance track events.
“It’s an honour any time I get to put on the Australian kit, but to make five Commonwealth Games teams is very special,” Wellings said.
“I have vivid memories of my first Games in Melbourne as I was screaming down the home straight in front of 90,000 people. I have beautiful memories like this from each of my Games appearances.
“To be selected for Birmingham is especially exciting after missing the Tokyo Olympics last year. As a female athlete, you’re never really sure if you’re going to be back at your best after having a baby. It’s been a long hard road and I’m stoked to be selected.”
Wellings has a history of success on the track, making finals at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games, and has enjoyed the distance shift up to the marathon.
“There’s a certain romance to it – it’s an unfolding story within an actual event. Even before you get to the starting line, there’s the build-up and the layers, and then the race itself brings such physical and mental challenges. I’m in the thick of it now and learning.”
Kathryn Mitchell is also on a high after securing her place on her fifth Games team.
“I never imaged I would go to that many,” Mitchell said.
“As reigning champion, I’m honoured to be selected as part of a quality team in the javelin.
“Commonwealth Games is an honourable event. Australia has such a strong history which I believe creates a unique team vibe.”
For reigning Commonwealth Games high-jump champion, Brandon Starc, this selection is particularly special for him and his coach.
“Three Commonwealth Games teams with my coach Alex (Stewart) is a pretty cool feat, but this will be the first where we’re both dads,” Starc said.
“I am 100% there to defend my title and having my wife, Laura, and son, Oli, cheering on the sidelines will make this competition all the more memorable.”
Two more Para-athletes have been selected among the additional 53 Team Members, with wheelchair racer Sam Carter and sprinter Indiana Cooper receiving invitations to compete from World Para Athletics.
Cooper, 16, will become the youngest member of the Australian athletics squad, racing alongside previously announced athletes Rhiannon Clarke and Ella Pardy in the T38 100m event.
The selection is a tremendous rise for the young sprinter who was inspired to get involved in the sport while watching Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Isis Holt compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
Cooper becomes one of five Kurt Fearnley Scholarship recipients on the Australian Team bound for Birmingham.
KURT FEARNLEY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT INDI COOPER SPRINTING TOWARDS BIRMINGHAM GAMES
Gundagai’s Indiana “Indi” Cooper is one of four recipients of the 2021/22 Kurt Fearnley Scholarship which will help support the young Para-athlete towards qualifying for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
READ MORECommonwealth Games Australia Team Chef de Mission Petria Thomas OAM was thrilled to announce the latest selections today.
“This is an exciting group who are ready to be bold in gold at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham,” Thomas said.
“Today’s selections are a wonderful mixture of defending gold medal champions, experienced campaigners, and the next generation who are ready to establish themselves on the world stage.
“Australia has enjoyed a tremendous legacy in athletics at the Commonwealth Games, and I know the Team Members selected today are ready to add their names to that storied history.”
Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley welcomed today’s team announcement, highlighting the significance for the sport in Australia.
“I’d like to extend my congratulations to all of our athletes selected today for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games,” Bromley said.
“It’s a huge honour to represent Australia, especially at the Commonwealth Games as the only opportunity our athletes have to compete in an integrated team. This team is an incredibly strong one, and we look forward to seeing how they fare against the best in the Commonwealth after topping the medal tally at home on the Gold Coast four years ago.
“I know the entire country will be watching and cheering on and I wish them every success.”
Australian Athletics Team – Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games:
NAME | EVENT | AGE | COMMONWEALTH GAMES | STATE |
---|---|---|---|---|
WOMEN'S EVENTS | ||||
Naa Anang | 100m & 4x100m Relay | 27 | 2nd (2018 - 9th: Women's Long Jump) | QLD |
Isobel Batt-Doyle | 10000m (& 5000m reserve) | 26 | Debut | SA |
Jacinta Beecher | 200m & 4x100m Relay | 24 | Debut | QLD |
Brooke Buschkuehl | Long Jump | 28 | 2nd (2018 - Silver: Women's Long Jump) | VIC |
Abbey Caldwell | 1500m | 20 | Debut | VIC |
Sarah Carli | 400m Hurdles | 27 | Debut | NSW |
Amy Cashin | 3000m Steeplechase | 27 | Debut | VIC |
Ella Connolly | 100m, 200m & 4x100m Relay | 21 | Debut | QLD |
Indiana Cooper | 100m T38 | 16 | Debut | NSW |
Taneille Crase | Heptathlon | 27 | Debut | QLD |
Samantha Dale | Long Jump | 20 | Debut | NSW |
Rose Davies | 5000m & 10000m | 22 | Debut | NSW |
Riley Day | 200m & 4x100m Relay | 22 | 2nd (2018 - Semi-finals - Women's 200m) | QLD |
Brielle Erbacher | 3000m Steeplechase | 23 | Debut | QLD |
Taryn Gollshewsky | Discus Throw | 29 | 3rd (2014 - 9th: Women's Discus; 2018 - 5th: Women's Discus) | QLD |
Georgia Griffith | 800m (& 1500m – reserve) | 25 | 2nd (2018 - 5th: Women's 1500m) | VIC |
Linden Hall | 1500m | 31 | 2nd (2018 - 4th: Women's 1500m) | VIC |
Katie Hayward | 10000m Walk | 21 | Debut | QLD |
Rebecca Henderson | 10000m Walk | 20 | Debut | VIC |
Alexandra Hulley | Hammer Throw | 24 | 2nd (2018 - Silver: Women's Hammer Throw) | NSW |
Michelle Jenneke | 100m Hurdles | 29 | 3rd (2014 - 5th: Women's 100m Hurdles; 2018 - 4th: Women's 100m Hurdles) | QLD |
Mackenzie Little | Javelin Throw | 25 | Debut | NSW |
Bree Masters | 100m & 4x100m Relay | 27 | Debut | QLD |
Kathryn Mitchell | Javelin Throw | 39 | 5th (2006 - 6th: Women's Javelin; 2010 - 5th: Women's Javelin; 2014 - 4th: Women's Javelin; 2018 - Gold: Women's Javelin) | VIC |
Celeste Mucci | 100m Hurdles & 4x100m Relay | 22 | 2nd (2018 - 4th: Heptathlon) | VIC |
Natalie Rule | 5000m | 25 | Debut | VIC |
Jessica Stenson | Marathon | 34 | 3rd (2014 - Bronze: Women's Marathon; 2018 - Bronze: Women's Marathon) | SA |
Eloise Wellings | Marathon | 39 | 5th (2006 - 4th: Women's 5000m; 2010 - 5th: Women's 5000m, 6th: Women's 10000m; 2014 - 5th: Women's 5000m; 2018 - 8th: Women's 5000m, 16th: Women's 10000m) | NSW |
MEN'S EVENTS | ||||
Angus Armstrong | Pole Vault | 25 | 2nd (2018 - 5th: Men's Pole Vault) | WA |
Joshua Azzopardi | 4x100m Relay | 22 | Debut | NSW |
Rohan Browning | 100m & 4x100m Relay | 24 | 2nd (2018 - Semi-finals: Men's 100m, 4th: Men's 4x100m Relay) | NSW |
Andrew Buchanan | Marathon | 31 | Debut | VIC |
Benjamin Buckingham | 3000m Steeplechase | 30 | Debut | VIC |
Samuel Carter | 1500m T54 | 30 | Debut | ACT |
Rhydian Cowley | 10000m Walk | 31 | 2nd (2018 - 15th: Men's 20km Walk) | VIC |
Joseph Deng | 800m | 23 | 2nd (2018 - 7th: Men's 800m) | VIC |
Jacob Despard | 4x100m Relay | 25 | Debut | TAS |
Jake Doran | 100m, 200m & 4x100m Relay | 21 | Debut | QLD |
Henry Frayne | Long Jump | 32 | 3rd (2014 - 12th: Men's Long Jump; 2018 - Silver: Men's Long Jump) | QLD |
Daniel Golubovic | Decathlon | 28 | Debut | QLD |
Jack Hale | 4x100m Relay | 24 | 2nd (2018 - 4th: Men's 4x100m Relay) | TAS |
Nicholas Hough | 110m Hurdles | 28 | 3rd (2014 - 4th: Men's 110m Hurdles; 2018 - Bronze: Men's 110m Hurdles) | NSW |
Charlie Hunter | 800m | 25 | Debut | NSW |
Julian Konle | Triple Jump | 25 | Debut | QLD |
Cameron McEntyre | Javelin Throw | 23 | Debut | NSW |
Stewart McSweyn | 1500m | 27 | 2nd (2018 - 5th: Men's 5000m, 11th: Men's 10000m) | TAS |
Christopher Mitrevski | Long Jump & 4x100m Relay | 25 | 2nd (2018 - 6th: Men's Long Jump) | VIC |
Matthew Ramsden | 1500m & 5000m | 24 | Debut | VIC |
Ky Robinson | 5000m & 10000m | 20 | Debut | QLD |
Steven Solomon | 400m | 29 | 3rd (2014 - Semi-Finals: Men's 400m; 2018 - 7th: Men's 400m) | NSW |
Brandon Starc | High Jump | 28 | 3rd (2014 - 8th: Men's High Jump; 2018 - Gold: Men's High Jump) | NSW |
Declan Tingay | 10000m Walk | 23 | Debut | WA |
Edward Trippas | 3000m Steeplechase | 23 | Debut | NSW |
Athletics has been held at every Commonwealth Games since the first British Empire Games held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. Para-athletics were added to the program at the Victoria 1994 Commonwealth Games, then returned at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Alexander Stadium has undergone a £72m ($128m) renovation to host the athletics competition and the opening and closing ceremonies at Birmingham 2022, transforming the venue from a 12,700 capacity stadium to around 30,000 spectators.
Australia and England are both vying to become the first nation to win 200 gold medals in athletics at the Commonwealth Games. Australia is also on track to win its 500th athletics medal in Birmingham.
Australian sporting legends Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC CVO MBE and Raelene Boyle AM MBE are the most successful Australian track and field athletes at the Games, each winning seven gold medals.
Commonwealth Games athletics medals summary by nation:
NATION | GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 196 | 162 | 137 | 495 |
England | 194 | 200 | 183 | 577 |
Canada | 83 | 98 | 135 | 316 |
Kenya | 72 | 62 | 49 | 183 |
Jamaica | 57 | 40 | 44 | 141 |
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held from Thursday 28 July to Monday 8 August with the Athletics competitions to be conducted from Tuesday 2 August through to Sunday 7 August at Alexander Stadium.