Australian Team Change | 2023 World Cross Country Championships Bathurst

Australia’s team of 28 for Saturday’s World Cross Country Championships will feature Australian debutant Andre Waring, after the withdrawal of Matthew Ramsden due to a calf injury.

Named as an Australian emergency for the Men’s 10km event, Waring competed in this morning’s Golden Ticket Race in a bid to guarantee his start at the World Cross Country Championships as one of the top-seven finishers – doing so when winning with ease in the 6km event.

The 29-year-old later received the news of his impending debut after the final decision on Ramsden’s health was made, swapping his golden ticket for his maiden Australian tracksuit and the rare opportunity of a home World Championships:

“It’s always been a dream of mine to make a team, so to get that reward after all the hard training and sacrifices is nice, even though the circumstances are a bit unusual,” Waring said.

“I just want to give it a good crack because I feel like I have nothing to lose. I am going to go out there and attack it like I would any other race, it should be good.”

The change adds to the previous withdrawals of Holly Campbell (replaced by Georgia Hansen) and Fieke Van Der Kamp (replaced by Charli-Rose Carylon).

Waring's call up also means that Paralmypic star Michael Roeger secures the final Golden Ticket for the World Championships Men's 10km. 

The 2023 World Cross Country Championships Bathurst begin at 3:30pm AEDT, Saturday February 18.

By  Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 17/2/2022