Three individual athletes and five relay team members have been named by the New Zealand Olympic Committee in the third and final athletics selection for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, bringing the total to 20 athletes.
The athletes named for individual events are Julian Matthews and Nikki Hamblin (1500) and Lucy Van Dalen (5000).
Matthews (25) first represented New Zealand at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in 2005, winning gold in the 1500. He spent a number of years in the US University system at Providence College in Rhode Island.
Back in New Zealand, the Nelson based athlete won the New Zealand 1500 tile in 2012 and placed second this year. The Glasgow Games will be Matthews first as part of a senior New Zealand team.
Matthews personal best of 3:38.20 was set just two weeks ago, racing in California.
Hamblin famously won silver medals in the 800 and 1500 at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and holds the New Zealand 1500 record at 4:04.82 as well as the second fastest ever time for 800 at 1:59.66.
The 26 year old has represented New Zealand at two World Championships, at Berlin in 2009 and Daegu, Korea in 2011 in both the 800 and 1500, as well as representing Oceania at the 2010 Continental Cup in Split.
Injury prevented Hamblin from competing at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2013 Moscow World Championships, but she is running well again, with a 4:07.07 time in Los Angeles recently.
Van Dalen competed at the London Olympics, making it through to the semifinals in the 1500 at her fist major championship. She recently competed at the World Indoor championships in Poland in the 3000.
The Auckland-based Wanganui athlete competed for Stony Brook University in New York for several years, winning the NCAA Indoor Mile championship in 2012. The following year she won the New Zealand 1500 title.
Van Dalen ran 15:22.95 for 5000 in early May at the Payton Jordan meet in Stanford, California, just 1.87 outside her best, set in 2013. She is the fourth fastest ever New Zealander over 5000 and the second fastest over 1500.
The womens 4x400 relay team, given the green light at the early May selection announcement has five athletes named by the selectors.
The five athletes named in the squad are Zoe Ballantyne, Portia Bing, Katherine Camp, Brooke Cull and Louise Jones.
Monique Dell will be confirmed as selected in the relay squad subject to form and fitness requirements being met. Kristie Baillie and Ellie McCleery will be reserves for the relay team.
The naming of these athletes brings to total number selected in the athletics team to 20 with the potential to grow to 23 if Dell and decathletes Brent Newdick and Scott McLaren satisfy the selectors requirements to prove their fitness and form.
Full Athletics Team:
1. Valerie Adams Shot Put
2. Zoe Ballantyne 4 x 400 relay
3. Portia Bing 4 x 400 relay
4. Katherine Camp 4 x 400 relay
5. Sarah Cowley High Jump
6. Brooke Cull 4 x 400 relay
7. Stuart Farquhar Javelin
8. Jacko Gill Shot Put
9. Siositina Hakeai Discus
10. Nikki Hamblin 1500
11. Louise Jones 4 x 400 relay
12. Julian Matthews 1500
13. Julia Ratcliffe Hammer
14. Jake Robertson 5,000
15. Zane Robertson 5,000
16. Angie Smit 800
17. Kimberley Smith Marathon
18. Lucy Van Dalen 5,000
19. Tomas Walsh Shot Put
20. Nicholas Willis 1500
Additionally, three athletes will be confirmed as selected in the team subject to proof of fitness and form:
21. Scott McLaren Decathlon
22. Brent Newdick Decathlon
23. Monique Dell 4 x 400 relay
Athletes may be named in additional events at a later stage.