News & Updates

An initial team of 27 athletes has been selected to represent New Zealand in Athletics at the 2019 World University Games in Naples, Italy (08-13 July).

Two of New Zealand’s top female sprinter Zoe Hobbs and Olivia Eaton will feature on the track, with a strong team also expected for the 4x100m and 4x400m relays thanks to the inclusion of Natasha Eady, Georgia Hulls, Brooke Somerfield, Briana Stephenson, Stella Pearless, Brooke Cull and Anna Percy.

In the pole vault, 2019 senior and junior women’s national champion Olivia McTaggart features, along with runner up Imogen Ayris. Six times men’s pole vault national champion Nick Southgate will line-up at his third World University Games against 2019 champion James Steyn, who came within 1cm of the New Zealand pole vault record of 5.51m at the Australian National Championships earlier this month.

Max Attwell has been named after claiming his place as 2019 National Decathlon champion earlier this year. Hamish Kerr will be looking to better his result in the men’s High Jump from the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, where he was dislodged from joint 12th down to 13th to miss out on the final, courtesy of the very last jump of the qualification round.

Also returning to the games are Zoe Hobbs, Hannah Miller and Joshua Hawkins, who all represented New Zealand at the 2017 World University Games in Taipei.

Supporting the team will be:

• Scott Newman, Team Leader
• Jess Jones, Operations Manager
• Oliver Low, Team Physiotherapist

 The remaining athletes and management will be named on June 05, 2019.