Ballarat's best Commonwealth Games hopes will have to earn their ticket to Birmingham the hard way after missing selection in Australian's initial athletics squad.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Javelin thrower Kathryn Mitchell and high jumper Yual Reath were notable omissions from the 32-strong squad named on Monday, all of whom have received automatic selection or invitations to compete.
Mitchell is the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist, after throwing a Games record 68.92m on the Gold Coast in 2018.
The 39-year-old has taken a break since competing in the Tokyo Olympics final last year but will have the chance to throw a qualifying distance at the Oceania Championships next month.
Reath is a new-comer to the professional scene and demanded extra attention when he won gold at the national championships last month with a 2.20m jump.
The 21-year-old cleared 2.25m to break the Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre record earlier this year.
Reath is still trying to clear 2.33m to qualify for the world championships, which will be held a couple weeks before the Games.
The YCW Harriers member trains part-time, splitting his blossoming athletics career with his job as a landscaper, and has drawn high praise from coach Paul Cleary.
"I reckon there's no one in the world that can jump 2.25m that does the amount of training Yual does," Cleary said.
"All the other guys that are jumping that height are usually full-time athletes who train five, six days a week."
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.