Sydney: Australia will send its biggest-ever track and field team to a championships outside its shores at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games next month.
The 103-strong squad, headlined by Olympic and world 100-metre hurdles champion Sally Pearson, includes 44 athletes making their major championships debut and 12 para-athletes.
The team is second only in size to the 120 athletes who competed at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.
The Glasgow team easily outnumbers the 86 that travelled in the squad to the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Pearson will contest the 100-metre flat and hurdles and the 4x100-metre relay at the Glasgow Games.
Among those added to the squad on Thursday were US collegiate stars Steve Solomon (400 and 4x400-metre relay) and discus thrower Julian Wruck.
“It’s fantastic to see such large numbers and that comes first from the sport giving the athletes the opportunity and second from the athletes taking advantage of the opportunity,” Australian team chef de mission and former marathon champion Steve Moneghetti said.
“The Commonwealth Games has often been the first multi-sport team experience for young athletes and many of those selected fall into that category.”
A 66-strong Australia team finished a close second behind Kenya on the athletics medals table at the 2010 Games in Delhi.
