Athletics Australia – News – #WYC13: Donetsk to welcome 21 Australians

Donetsk (UKR) is calling for 21 young Australians today after Athletics Australia Selectors confirmed the team set to don the green and gold at the IAAF World Youth Championships in July.

Boasting 14 girls and seven boys, the Australian team includes 14 national under 18 champions, an astounding 17 representatives from the Australian Youth Olympic Festival and 15 talented graduates of the Athletics Australia Under 17 Development Squad.

“Congratulations to the athletes, their personal coaches and families, now selected to compete at the IAAF World Youth Championships. To earn your spot on the Australian team you have performed remarkably this season and we look forward to watching you take on this outstanding opportunity in the coming months,” Sara Mulkearns, Athletics Australia Junior High Performance Manager, said.

“The World Youths are traditionally one of the first chances for athletes to compete for Australia, and from a high performance perspective it provides a fantastic stepping stone toward the IAAF World Junior Championships and, hopefully, future selection to the Australian Flame. Competing on the world stage is one of the best ways to learn the rigours of international competition, and we hope you all take the opportunity offered to develop as an athlete.”

Since their inception in 1999 the IAAF World Youth Championships have proven a breeding ground for talent, with Jana Rawlinson (Poland, 1999), Jared Tallent (Hungary, 2001), Sally Pearson (Canada, 2003) and Dani Samuels (Morocco, 2005) just some of the names to have competed at earlier editions of the meet before going on to medal winning performances at either the Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games or IAAF World Championships. 

Jake Stein (NSW, gold, decathlon), Liz Parnov (WA, silver pole vault), Sarah Carli (NSW, silver, 400m hurdles) and Monique Cilione (Vic, bronze, javelin) were the Australian medal winners at the last IAAF World Youth Championships held in Lille (FRA). At this event, the Australian team achieved an impressive 12 top-eight performances to finish 11th on the placings table from more than 150 countries.
 
IAAF WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS
Donetsk, Ukraine
10-14 July 2013
 
Event: Athlete (State, Coach)
 
GIRLS (14)
400m: Molly Blakey (NSW, Penny Gillies)
800m: Georgia Wassall (NSW, Kevin Wills)
2000m steeplechase: Amy McCormick (WA, Susan Andrews)
Long jump: Audrey Kyriacou (NSW, Lyn Jacenko)
High jump: Hannah Joye (Qld, Jacqui, Zamel), Eleanor Patterson (Vic, David Green)
Pole vault: Nina Kennedy (WA, Alex Parnov), Emma Phillippe (WA, Alex Parnov)
Shot put: Yasenaca Denicaucau (NSW, David Bruce), Paletina Lemi (NSW, David Bruce)
Discus throw: Yasenaca Denicaucau (NSW, David Bruce)
Hammer throw: Alexandra Hulley (NSW, Karyne Di Marco)
Javelin: Mackenzie Little (NSW, Annabel Davies)
Heptathlon: Alysha Burnett (NSW, Zsusza Olgyay-Szabo), Aliyah Johnson (Qld, Gary Bourne)

BOYS (7)
400m: Samuel Baird (Vic, Peter Odwyer)
Long jump: Henry Smith (Vic, Cathy Woodruff)
High jump: Joel Baden (Vic, Sandro Bisetto)
Pole vault: Henri Brown (WA, Alex Parnov)
Discus throw: Mathew Denny (Qld, Grahame Pitt)
Hammer throw: Mathew Denny (Qld, Grahame Pitt), Costa Kousparis (NSW, Karyne Di Marco)
10,000m walk: Nathan Brill (Vic, Simon Baker)

For more information on the IAAF World Youth Championships, please follow this link to the IAAF website.

 Athletics Australia – News