Hooker gets early nomination for Aussie Olympic Team
Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:36 am
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Aussies nominated for Olympic team
20/11/2007 2:38:18 PM
Sportal
Athletes Jana Rawlinson, Nathan Deakes, Craig Mottram, Steve Hooker and Luke Adams have been named as early nominations for Australia's 2008 Olympic team.
All five athletes have had their names nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee under the 'early nomination' clause.
The AOC will subsequently choose the entire athletics team for Beijing from a total pool of nominated athletes following a series of qualification events prior to July 4, the final date for nomination.
However, the early nomination of these five athletes will enable them to forego some of these qualification events if they choose too, and focus their training schedules specifically towards conditioning their bodies for maximum performance in Beijing.
Fifty kilometre walker Deakes, achieved his nomination through a gold medal winning performances at the world championships held in Osaka last August, while 400m hurdler Rawlinson was also automatically entitled to nomination after winning gold in Japan.
The selectors also used their discretion to choose Mottram (5000m), Hooker (pole vault) and Adams (20km walk), based on the trio's quality international performances this past year.
"The rationale behind the 'early nomination' clause is to identify the athletes that selectors believe represent realistic medal chances at the Olympic Games," said Athletics Australia chairman of selectors, Peter Fitzgerald.
"It enables athletes to focus on preparing for Beijing now, rather than having to wait until after the selection trials in March to be chosen for nomination to the AOC."
Despite an uncharacteristically poor run in the 5000m final at the world championships, Mottram has demonstrated over the past four years that he is one of the world's leading middle distance runners, with a world championships bronze medal (2005), a Commonwealth silver (2006) and back-to-back World Cup victories (2002 and 2006) to his name.
Like Mottram, Adams also struggled to produce his best results in Osaka's sweltering conditions, but battled hard to finish a gallant seventh in the 20km race walk, after struggling through the race's early stages.
Hooker, meanwhile, was ranked number one in the world at the end of 2006 and continued to do well this year with seven podium finishes in Europe, a new Australian indoor record of 5.81m in Boston and a season's best of 5.91m in Perth earlier in the year. However, the pole vaulter could only manage a ninth-placed finish in Osaka.
Aussies nominated for Olympic team
20/11/2007 2:38:18 PM
Sportal
Athletes Jana Rawlinson, Nathan Deakes, Craig Mottram, Steve Hooker and Luke Adams have been named as early nominations for Australia's 2008 Olympic team.
All five athletes have had their names nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee under the 'early nomination' clause.
The AOC will subsequently choose the entire athletics team for Beijing from a total pool of nominated athletes following a series of qualification events prior to July 4, the final date for nomination.
However, the early nomination of these five athletes will enable them to forego some of these qualification events if they choose too, and focus their training schedules specifically towards conditioning their bodies for maximum performance in Beijing.
Fifty kilometre walker Deakes, achieved his nomination through a gold medal winning performances at the world championships held in Osaka last August, while 400m hurdler Rawlinson was also automatically entitled to nomination after winning gold in Japan.
The selectors also used their discretion to choose Mottram (5000m), Hooker (pole vault) and Adams (20km walk), based on the trio's quality international performances this past year.
"The rationale behind the 'early nomination' clause is to identify the athletes that selectors believe represent realistic medal chances at the Olympic Games," said Athletics Australia chairman of selectors, Peter Fitzgerald.
"It enables athletes to focus on preparing for Beijing now, rather than having to wait until after the selection trials in March to be chosen for nomination to the AOC."
Despite an uncharacteristically poor run in the 5000m final at the world championships, Mottram has demonstrated over the past four years that he is one of the world's leading middle distance runners, with a world championships bronze medal (2005), a Commonwealth silver (2006) and back-to-back World Cup victories (2002 and 2006) to his name.
Like Mottram, Adams also struggled to produce his best results in Osaka's sweltering conditions, but battled hard to finish a gallant seventh in the 20km race walk, after struggling through the race's early stages.
Hooker, meanwhile, was ranked number one in the world at the end of 2006 and continued to do well this year with seven podium finishes in Europe, a new Australian indoor record of 5.81m in Boston and a season's best of 5.91m in Perth earlier in the year. However, the pole vaulter could only manage a ninth-placed finish in Osaka.