Racing to Rio Olympics: Matildas in, Boomers revealed, shooter stars and triathletes chase selection

THE Matildas are in, Boomers squad revealed and a shooter stars. All in this week’s RACING TO RIO.

Emily van Egmond celebrates with her teammates after scoring against South Korea.

THEY have captured headlines around the country with their feats in Japan but much bigger things are now being predicted for the Matildas in Rio.

The Lisa de Vanna lead Matildas have proved a major hit on the pitch and with Australian sporting fans this week as they secured their first Olympic spot since 2004.

Emily van Egmond celebrates with her teammates after scoring against South Korea.

The team not only qualified but finished at the top of the table of the Olympic qualifying event in Rio following their 1-1 draw with China in their final outing of the tournament.

Now Football Federation Australia boss David Gallop believes the Matildas could now play for a medal in Rio in August.

“I think there is the real potential for them to be medal contenders,’’ Gallop said this week.

If so they will join the likes of the hockey teams, the women’s water polo side and the Opals as genuine medal changes for Australia at the 2016 Games.

SHOOTING TO THRILL

Quote of the week goes to Warren Potent for this ripper.

On his way to a silver medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Men Final at the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, came up with this.

Potent defeated world No. 1 Michael McPhail “by shooting the head of a matchstick at 50 metres”.

Chasing a spot at his third Olympics, world champion Potent finished second to Denmark’s Torben Grimmel at the event.

Shooter Warren Potent durig a training session.

TRYING HARD FOR OLYMPIC SELECTION

Ashleigh Gentle has almost spent more time travelling that training this week but she is determined to make herself memorable to selectors ahead of Olympic triathlon trials.

Just six days after she came from behind for a silver in the opening round of the world triathlon seeris in Abu Dhabi, the former world junior champion is backing up in a bid to again impress selectors.

“I was really nervous before Abu Dhabi, knowing full well the selectors were watching and it was an important race over the Olympic distance,’’ Gentle said ahead of this weekends Mooloolaba World Cup sprint race. “Mooloolaba will be less pressure and I know I will be a lot calmer leading into the race and that will be a good thing.”

Ashleigh Gentle ready to back up for her second race in six days.

On recent form Gentle is emerging as Australia’s top form for an Olympic spot in the three-woman team heading to Rio.

Other contenders include Beijing bronze medallist and former world champion Emma Moffat, London bronze medallist Erin Densham and a number of relative newcomers in Charlotte McShane and Gillian Backhouse.

Two spots remain for our men in Rio with former Olympian Courtney Atkinson racing in Mooloolaba before the main selection race on the Gold Coast in April.

Emma Moffatt chasing her third Olympic selection.

BOOMERS NAMED

An impressive seven NBA players along with college superstar and NBA prospect Ben Simmons have been named in the Boomers extended squad for the Rio Olympics.

The squad of 26, which also boasts 13 NBL players, will whittled down to just 16 for a one-off Rio selection camp from July 5-10.

The NBA stars in Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis 26 player squad are Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Cameron Bairstow, and Dante Exum.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets defends against Dante Exum of Utah Jazz.

Boomers extended squad for Rio: David Andersen (ASVEL, France), Cameron Bairstow (Chicago Bulls), Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons), Todd Blanchfield (Melbourne United), Andrew Bogut (Golden State Warriors), Angus Brandt (Sydney Kings), Ryan Broekhoff (Lokomotiv Kuban, Russia), Mitchell Creek (Adelaide 36ers), Matthew Dellavedova (Cleveland Cavaliers), Dante Exum (Utah Jazz), Adam Gibson (Adelaide 36ers), Cameron Gliddon (Cairns Taipans), Chris Goulding (Melbourne United), Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz), Nathan Jawai (Perth Wildcats), Daniel Kickert (Melbourne United), Kevin Lisch (Illawarra Hawks), Aleks Maric (Buducnost Podgorica, Montenegro), Damian Martin (Perth Wildcats), Patrick Mills (San Antonio Spurs), Brock Motum (Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania), Brad Newley (Gran Canaria, Spain), Mitchell Norton (Townsville Crocodiles), Ben Simmons (LSU), Clint Steindl (Townsville Crocodiles), Lucas Walker (Adelaide 36ers).

TOKYO HERE WE COME

They haven’t even been to their first Olympic Games yet but young sailors Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have already committed to doing a campaign for the Tokyo Olympics.

The cousins from Sydney’s Northern Beaches are hoping to snare a medal on their Olympic debut in Rio in the new Nacra 17 mixed class.

Lisa Darmanin and Jason Waterhouse planning to race in Tokyo.

But Darmanin revealed they also have a long term plan.

“We’ve already decided we want to campaign to Tokyo, even before we knew we were going to Rio,’’ she said this week.

INDOOR WARM-UP

Some of our top athletes will get a major hitout before Rio at the IAAF World Indoor Championships with Alana Boyd (Qld), Brooke Stratton (Vic), Brett Robinson (Vic), Melissa Duncan (Vic) and Chelsea Jaensch (Qld) selected to compete alongside Fabrice Lapierre (NSW), Michelle Jenneke (NSW) and Collis Birmingham in Portland later this month.

Boyd recently snatched a New Australian pole vault record of 4.77m to secure her sport in the team to compete in Portland from March 17.

Alana Boyd in the pole vault at the recent IAAF World Challenge.

Stratton now boasts a personal best of 6.94m, just six centimetres shy of the longstanding Australian record of Bronwyn Thompson while Robinson and Duncan qualified at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in February in the 3000m and 1500m events respectively.

Jaensch recently notched a new personal best of 6.70m in the women’s long jump to secure her first Olympic Games standard.

Originally published as Racing to Rio Olympics: Matildas in, Boomers revealed, shooter stars and triathletes chase selection