McKnight & Riseley bound for Daegu

Victorians Kaila McKnight and Jeff Riseley have today been added to the now 32-strong Australian Flame team bound for the 2011 IAAF world championships in Daegu (KOR) this August.

Bringing themselves to the attention of selectors thanks to exciting international performances in recent months, Riseley has been selected for the men’s two-lap event where he will face off with world record holder David Rudisha (KEN), while McKnight will line up in the 1500m alongside reigning world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamsal (BAH).

The national 1500m champion Riseley, who donned the green and gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 IAAF world championships, launched himself to third on the 800m Australian All-Time List with a blistering 1:45.02 run for victory at the OXY Meet in California (USA) in May. Currently training at home in Melbourne, he will head back to Europe next week where he will continue his push for further selection in the 1500m at the Monaco (MON) and Stockholm (SWE) instalments of the Samsung Diamond League.

McKnight made her international debut with a silver medal at the 2009 Summer Universiade before again representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games last year. Second placed in the 1500m at the Austrlaian Athletics Championships in April, McKnight headed to Daegu (KOR) where she ran 4:05.65, the fourth fastest time ever by and Australian.

Joining McKnight and Riseley on the Australian team headed to Daegu are athletes with a disability Madison De Rozario and Richard Colman.

Set to start in the invitational women’s wheelchair 800m and men’s wheelchair 400m respectively, 17-year-old De Rozario and T53 800m world champion Colman have already enjoyed high level international competition this year thanks to strong performances at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch (NZL) this past January.

In further team announcements by Athletics Australia today, five athletes havebeen added to the Australian track and field team for the Summer Universiade in Shenzhen (CHN) next month.

Dual Australian triple jump champion Linda Allen (triple jump) and XX Nicholas Toohey (1500m) earned individual selection, while world junior championships representative AlexanderBeck, world championships bronze medallist Tristan Thomas and West Australian Chris Troode were added to the men’s 4x400m relay team.

This brings the team total to 30, following the withdrawal of Brenton Rowe (1500m), Dale Stevenson(shot put), Bridey Delaney (1500m), Lara Tamsett (10000m) and Laura Cornford (javelin).

ENDS