Large Australian team for world athletics championship

Walker Claire Tallent will join her superstar husband Jared in Australia’s team for next month’s world championships

Walker Claire Tallent will join her superstar husband Jared in the Australian team for next month’s world championships in London little more than two months after giving birth to their first son.

Claire Tallent replaces her injured sister-in-law Rachel Tallent in a squad which could well end up being the biggest to represent Australia at an edition of the biennial world titles.

Forty-nine athletes have been confirmed in the squad headlined by hurdler Sally Pearson and Jared Tallent, with more certain to be added in the next few days through the roll-down process, which seeks to guarantee full fields in each event.

The 36-year-old Claire Tallent — a silver medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games — missed selection for the Rio Olympics, although she still went to the 2016 Games as her husband’s coach.

She resumed training only a few days after the birth of baby Harvey in late May. A vacancy in the women’s 20km walk for the London world championships opened up when her sister-in-law and Rio Olympian Rachel withdrew due to injury. Jared and Claire Tallent are currently training at altitude in St Moritz, Switzerland.

As a multiple Olympic and world championships medallist, 50km expert Jared Tallent is among Australia’s best hopes at the August 4-13 world championships. Having overcome a series of injuries, 2011 world champ and 2012 Olympics gold medallist Pearson will also fancy her chances of a podium finish in the 100m hurdles.

Javelin thrower Kathryn Mitchell and 2009 discus world champion Dani Stevens are other genuine medal contenders. The biggest team Australia has sent to a world titles was 54 at the 1999 event in Seville.

Squad: (with more to be named) Women 200m: Ella Nelson 400m: Morgan Mitchell 800m: Georgia Griffith 1500m: Zoe Buckman, Georgia Griffith, Linden Hall 5000m: Madeline Hills, Eloise Wellings 10000m: Madeline Hills, Eloise Wellings 100m hurdles: Sally Pearson 400m hurdles: Lauren Wells 3000m steeplechase: Genevieve La Caze Long jump: Brooke Stratton Discus: Dani Stevens Javelin: Kathryn Mitchell, Kelsey-Lee Roberts 20km walk: Regan Lamble, Beki Smith, Claire Tallent Marathon: Milly Clark, Sinead Diver, Jess Trengove 4x400m relay: Ella Connolly, Morgan Mitchell, Ella Nelson, Anneliese Rubie, Jess Thornton, Lauren Wells Men 400m: Steve Solomon 800m: Peter Bol 1500m: Ryan Gregson, Luke Mathews 5000m: Morgan McDonald, Sam McEntee, Patrick Tiernan 10,000m: Patrick Tiernan 110m hurdles: Nick Hough Long jump: Henry Frayne, Fabrice Lapierre Pole vault: Kurtis Marschall Shot put: Damien Birkenhead Javelin: Hamish Peacock Decathlete: Cedric Dubler 20km walk: Dane Bird-Smith, Rhydian Cowley 50km Walk: Jared Tallent Marathon: Jack Colreavy, Josh Harris, Brad Milosevic 4x100m relay: Nick Andrews, Rohan Browning, Tom Gamble, Alex Hartmann, Trae Williams

AAP