Five WA Athletes Added to Australian Athletics Squad for the Gold Coast Games

A further five Western Australian athletes have been included on the Australian athletics team for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games after receiving discretionary selection from Athletics Australia.

Pole vaulter Declan Carruthers, hurdler Brianna Beahan, javelin thrower Luke Cann and para-athletes Ella Pardy and Rhiannon Clarke were included in a group of 44 athletes to receive discretionary selection with Commonwealth Games Australia ratifying a total team size of 109 athletes.

The five WA inclusions bring the state’s total athletics representation to nine athletes after wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario, hurdler Ian Dewhurst and pole vault duo Nina Kennedy and Liz Parnov had all previously secured selection onto the team.

Declan Carruthers will compete in his first Australian team and earned selection after finishing second in the men’s pole vault final at last month’s Championships at Carrara Stadium.

The 20 year-old was born on the Gold Coast but grew up in Adelaide when his family relocated when he was three. Carruthers made the decision to move West in 2016 to work with famed pole vault coach Alex Parnov, who has now landed three athletes on the 2018 Commonwealth Games team.

Brianna Beahan is set to compete in both the 100m hurdles and as a member of Australia’s 4x100m relay team on the Gold Coast. Beahan finished third at the Australian Championships in the 100m hurdles behind world champion Sally Pearson.

She is also the partner of Australian 400m hurdler Ian Dewhurst with the pair set to compete on the same Australian team together for the first time at a major championship.

Luke Cann will compete for Australia for the first time since debuting at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The 23 year-old relocated from Victoria to work with national throws coach Grant Ward in Perth, who famously led Kim Mickle to gold in Glasgow four years ago.

Cann threw a qualifying standard in June of last year at a competition meet in Townsville and despite being hampered by a knee injury in the lead-up to last month’s trials, selectors were keen to show faith in the left-armer, whose personal best of 81.07m would challenge for a finals spot if replicated at April’s Commonwealth Games.

Paralympian Ella Pardy will be joined by national team debutant Rhiannon Clarke on the Gold Coast with both women set to compete in the T38 (cerebral palsy) 100m.

Pardy made her Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow, where she finished ninth in the final of the T38 long jump.

Clarke secured her nomination after finishing second in the women’s 100m ambulant at last month’s selection trials and will be one of the youngest members of the Australian team, with Clarke just 15 years of age.

Western Australia now has 16 officially selected athletes on the Australian Commonwealth Games Team for the 2018 Gold Coast Games.