10 NSW athletes selected for National teams

Published Thu 14 Sep 2023

14 September 2023

10 NSW athletes selected for National teams

NSW are well represented in the final two National teams for 2023. Later this month, at the newly expanded World Athletics Road Running Championships, three NSW athletes, headlined by Jessica Hull in her seventh Australian team in two years, competes in Lativa at the two-day championships. In late November, seven NSW athletes compete at the Pacific Games in the Solomon Games, a key competition for those with Paris Olympic Games aspirations.

In Lativa, Jessica Hull will line-up in the road mile, competing on her third different surface in 2023 while in the green and gold, following the cross country and track championships this year. US-based Morgan McDonald competes in the road 5km, selected in his 10th National team. Making his global championship debut is NSW cross country champion, Ed Goddard, who starts in the half marathon. Goddard has previously competed at three World university championships, the cross country twice and track once.

With the growing realisation that points, rather than meeting qualifying standards, are critical for qualification for major international championships and Games, the 2023 Pacific Games take on greater importance. The event is a category B World Athletics meet, equal to the Australian track and field championships next April. The NSW athletes include a few who in 2023 were just short of qualification for the Budapest World Championships. They are also a group of the brightest emerging talent in NSW.

The surprise National 110m hurdles champion, Mitchell Lightfoot is selected for Honiara. He set six PBs on the way to his National title, while still a teenager in April this year. Second and third in the Nationals would go on to compete at the 2023 World Championships. Connor Murphy, who lost the National triple jump title on countback, after breakthrough jump of 16.61m, competed in Europe in 2023, ahead of a fourth place at the World University Games. First and third at the Nationals were selected for the 2023 World Championships. Murphy’s training partner Desleigh Owusu, who won the National triple jump title and was sixth at the World University Games, but fell just short of sufficient World Athletics points to qualify for Budapest. At the other end of the scale, the third member of the Andrew Murphy squad selected, Samantha Dale, is named in her fourth Australian team in just 17 months.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Desleigh Owusu (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)

AUSTRALIAN TEAMS

World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia – 30 Sept – 1 October 2023

1 Mile - Jessica Hull (coach Simon Hull)

5km - Morgan McDonald (Dathan Ritzenhein)

Half Marathon - Ed Goddard (Gavin Burren)

Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands - 27 Nov – 2 December 2023

100m Hurdles - Imogen Breslin (Mick Zisti)

400m Hurdles - Isabella Guthrie (Angus McEntyre)

Long Jump - Katie Gunn (Matt Horsnell)

Long Jump - Samantha Dale (Andrew Murphy)

Triple Jump - Desleigh Owusu (Andrew Murphy)