Nitro Athletics Team Australia Selectors Announced

It still might be track and field but athletes competing in next year’s Nitro Athletics Melbourne will need to enter the competition with a completely different mindset.

“You’ve got to go in with the mentality of ‘I’m going to give it my best shot’ individually as you always do, but know that your teammates will be relying on you to perform and you might have to compete in an event you are not familiar with,” said Nitro Athletics Team Australia selector Nova Peris.

“The athletes will have to remember that you are going into a team environment with Nitro Athletics. It’s not just about yourself – it’s about doing what you have to do for the team,” Peris, the dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist said.

It’s a sentiment echoed by three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist turned athletics commentator, Tamsyn Lewis-Manou.

“As an individual athlete, to be part of a team and the opportunity to promote the sport and themselves is great,” Manou said.

Both Manou and Peris will form a team of four selectors that also include Commonwealth Games pole vault silver medallist Paul Burgess and 2004 World Cross Country Champion Benita Willis. Together, they are charged with the responsibly and honour of selecting Team Australia for the inaugural Nitro Athletics series.

“To be involved back into the sport with Tamsyn, Paul and Benita is great and it’s a really exciting time for myself,” Peris said.

“It’s a real honour and privilege to be on the selector’s panel and there’s going to be a bit of a legacy left behind being the first series,” Peris added.

Twenty-four of Australia’s most exciting athletes will form Team Australia at Nitro Athletics Melbourne when the series kicks off at Lakeside Stadium next year.

Across three nights in February, Aussie athletes will come up against teams from New Zealand, Japan, China, England and the Bolt All-Stars.

The ‘Usain Bolt factor’ is certain to be a major attraction next year, with the Jamaican sprinter already drawing plenty of attention when he visited Melbourne earlier this month.

With crowd attendances and viewership set to be the highest for a domestic competition in years, it’s an opportunity for Australian athletes that has rarely seen before, says Peris.

“Having a legend of the sport in Usain Bolt giving his name and time and passion to promoting athletics in this country is great.”

Manou agrees, and is careful to tell the Australian athletes the significance of being a part of Nitro Athletics.

“In something like this, there’s going to be nerves for the athletes because you are bringing a superstar of the sport in Usain Bolt down to Australia to compete - there’s going to be a big crowd.”

“To bring those big superstars to our backyard is really good preparation for the athletes who will want to then go overseas and compete at a major championships later in the year, like the 2017 London World Championships.”

“I’ve always been a big believer in practicing by competing. I think that anytime there is a meet on in Australia, athletes should give it a go. Nitro Athletics is going to be a great example of what it’s going to be like in a major championships,” Manou said.

Peris, a double Commonwealth Games gold medallist in both hockey and athletics, knows a thing or two about competing as a part of a team, and says the athletes will need to remember that this is as much about individual performances as it is about the team.

“In my day, I would’ve loved it. It’s exciting. Coming from an international sport of Hockey where you are competing against nations in a team environment - I always love competing for Australia, representing myself, my teammates and my country,” Peris said.

“Looking at the calibre of countries that have put their hand up and said ‘We want to be part of this’ is exciting. Our domestic season is Australians versing Australians this is a small window of opportunity for the athletes we select to showcase their talent on home soil against the world’s best athletes.”

Nominations for Team Australia will be accepted until 11:59pm AEDT, Sunday 27 November 2016. For more information about Nitro Athletics Melbourne, see here.