Athletics New Zealand has announced a team of six athletes for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Colombia later this year.
Building on New Zealand’s international reputation in shot put, Ryan Ballantyne (St Paul’s Collegiate School) and Madison Wesche are included in the team following top performances during the domestic season.
Wesche added the Australian Youth shot put title to the New Zealand championship while Ballantyne bettered the Waikato BoP record held by 1994 Commonwealth Games medallist Courtney Ireland several times during the summer.
The Wellington duo of Phoebe Edwards and Kelsey Forman have also earned selection.
Edwards won both the New Zealand and Australian Youth titles in the High Jump and Heptathlon, while Foreman set a New Zealand record taking out the New Zealand 2000m steeplechase title.
Georgia Hulls dominated age group sprinting on both sides of the Tasman, winning both New Zealand and Australian 100m and 200m championship titles. The Hastings fifteen year old has been rewarded with selection in both events for the championships.
Olivia Burdon, based in Southport on the Gold Coast but born in Auckland, qualified with a series of top performances in both the 1500m and 3000m and will join the other five New Zealand-based athletes.
The championships will be held in Cali, Colombia’s third largest city 15 – 19 July.
Selections
- Ryan Ballantyne – Shot Put
- Olivia Burdon – 1500m & 3000m
- Phoebe Edwards – Heptathlon & High Jump
- Kelsey Forman – 2000m Steeplechase
- Georgia Hulls – 100m & 200m
- Maddison-Lee Wesche – Shot Put
