WA Athletes Bound for Beijing

The Australian Olympic Committee’s announcement today of the Cycling and Equestrian Sections of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team has seen Western Australia’s representation reach a final total of 48 athletes out of the total team size of approximately 434.

The official selection of Western Australian Institute of Sport athletes Clayton Fredericks, Lucinda Fredericks and Sonja Johnson for the Equestrian Section and Ryan Bayley, Cameron Meyer, Tanya Bailey and Nicole Callisto for the Cycling Section will see WA contribute their third highest number of athletes to an Australian Olympic Team ever, behind Athens in 2004 (54 athletes out of a total of 482) and Sydney in 2000 (51 athletes out of a total of 631).

Of the seven WA athletes selected today only dual gold medallist Bayley has previous Olympic experience, with the other six all making their first Olympic team.

In the case of 20-year old Callisto and 27-year old Bailey it will also be the debut of their sport, with the duo making history as Australia’s first female representatives in the new sport of BMX.

Joining them in the Cycling Section will be 26-year old Bayley, who will ride the sprint, thekeirin and the team sprint,and 19-year old Meyer, who will ride the points race after finishing fourth at the last two World Championships.

The Equestrian Section will be home to 40-year old Clayton Fredericks, 42-year old Lucinda Fredricks and 40-year old Johnson, whowill debut as members of the five-person eventing team.

Full biographies ofthecycling and equestrian athletes are available on the AOC’s official website – http://www.olympics.com.au/Athletes/TheTeam/tabid/343/Default.aspx?link=343&tabid=343&. A full listing ofthe 48official WA selections is also available at www.olympics.com.au/wa.