Athletics Australia – News – Youth and experience make up wheelchair track and road team

The final piece of the Australian team puzzle have now settled into the team’s accommodation, with all but two of the wheelchair track and road team touching down in Christchurch (NZL) across the past 36 hours ahead of the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships commencing this Friday, January 21 2011.

Led by squad coaches Louise Sauvage and Fred Periac, the wheelchair track and road contingent are ten-strong  with Paralympic champions Kurt Fearnley  and Richard Colman leading a men’s team that also includes Richard Nicholson, Jake Lappin, Brett McArthur and international debutantes Sam Carter and Sam McIntosh.

A wheelchair marathon specialist, Fearnley (T54 marathon) in 2009 took line honours across 42.195 kilometres in Paris (FRA), London (GBR), Seoul (KOR), Sydney, Chicago (USA) and New York (USA). Crawling the Kokoda Track to raise funds for Movember later that same year, Fearnley is the T54 Australian record holder across 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m.

Heading to Delhi (IND) for the T54 1500m in 2010, Fearnley headed home with the gold medal and was joined on the podium by compatriot Colman (T53 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, marathon), who in a time of 3:20.90 won silver. The current Australian wheelchair champion across 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m, Colman’s international experience also includes two World Championships (2002, 2006) and two Paralympic Games (2004, 2008).

Nicholson (T54 100m, 200m, 400m, marathon), Lappin (T54 400m, 800m, 1500m) and McArthur (T54 marathon) combine for five international appearances, with Carter (T54 100m, 200m, 400m) an IWAS World Junior Games gold medallist and McIntosh (T52 100m, 200m, T51/52 400m) a three-time T52 Australian record holder across 100m, 200m and 400m.

“The men’s team is pretty strong, their led by the likes of Richard and Kurt obviously but for the most part the team is mainly made up of young guys that will hopefully progress to London,” Louise Sauvage said.

“It’s also great to have Brett back, he went to Seoul in 1988 and it’s kind of cool to have back on board at these Championships.”

Meanwhile in the women’s wheelchair events, Angela Ballard (T53 100, 200m, 400m), Madison De Rozario (T53 100m, 200m, 400m) and Jemima Moore (T54 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m) will fly the Australian flag, the trio combining for four medals at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

Ballard won five medals in the women’s wheelchair events at the 2010 Australian Athletics Championships, with her three gold adding to a previously won 21 national titles.

In 2010, Moore improved her personal best across 100m (17.94), 200m (32.71), 400m (1:01.89) and 1500m (3:35.65) with her 1500m result a T54 U20 Australian record whilst De Rozario stole the show at the IWAS World Junior Games finishing atop the podium in the T53 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m.

“Angie, Jemima and Maddy make up the girl’s team but as always the girls face some tough competition,” Sauvage said

“Both the T53 and T54 classes are always strong which means the girls will be pushed to put in their best, finals are still likely though so I hope to see that girls go well.”

“I don’t like to make predictions about medals, but I am expecting to see some great results thanks to the competition everyone will face, with some PB’s possible and hopefully plenty of finals appearances.”

The 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships commence this Friday, January 21 2011 in Christchurch (NZL).

To send your message of support to the Australian team, please follow this link to the Athletics Australia Messageboard.

Athletics Australia – News