Riley Day leads 75-strong Aussie team to Commonwealth Youth Games
Teen sprint sensation Riley Day will lead a 75-strong Australian team to the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas.
Teen sprint sensation Riley Day will lead a 75-strong Australian team to the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July.
Day is part of what is shaping as a golden generation of young female athletes who will be part of this event for athletes aged from 14 to 18 years.
Day, who sprang into the public eye when she starred in the Nitro Series alongside Usain Bolt in February, is the national under-18 100m and 200m champion and one of a group of highly talented teenagers coming through her sport.
National under-18 400m champion Ella Connolly and runner-up Ethiopian-born Bendere Oboya are also excellent prospects, as is 800m runner Keely Small, who set the national under-18 record this year.
The youth games has been a longstanding breeding ground for champions, including triple Olympic champion swimmer Jodie Henry, Olympic 100m hurdles gold medallist Sally Pearson and Olympic modern pentathlon champion Chloe Esposito, who competed in shooting in 2008.
Paralympic star Matthew Cowdrey will manage the team and said he hoped this experience would accelerate the athletes’ development.
“We have continued to track the development of athletes who competed in Samoa two years ago, with a number likely to line up for Australia on the Gold Coast next year,’’ Cowdrey said.
“The quick development of these athletes is so pleasing for us, and demonstrates how powerful a Commonwealth Youth Games experience can be.’’
Swimmers Ariarne Titmus and Shayna Jack were both gold medallists in Samoa two years ago and have now broken through into the Australian senior team for this year’s world titles in Budapest.
They are likely members of the senior Commonwealth Games team next year.
The team for the Bahamas includes athletes from athletics, beach volleyball, boxing, judo, cycling, rugby sevens and swimming.
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