Athletics: Two more added to New Zealand team for world champs

New Zealand women's hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe. Photo / Greg Bowker.

New Zealand will have 12 athletes in action at the world championships in London next month, with the addition of two more today.

Hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe and discus thrower Marshall Hall have been invited to compete by the IAAF, as their rankings are inside the world top 32, the number for the fields in throwing events.

Ratcliffe, who holds the New Zealand record at 70.75m, was a fraction short of the Athletics New Zealand B selection standard of 71.00m but a big throw of 70.35m in the United States showed she's close to the requirements. She is ranked 26th.

Ratcliffe, 24, recently graduated from Princeton University, won silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the world university games in Korea two years ago.

Hall, of Invercargill, recently threw 64.55m, just short of the 65.00m standard but at No 23 on the list will go in with confidence.

Hall, 28, has been training with his coach Matt Dallow in California and it will be his first experience of a major international meet. The eight-time national discus champion, has been to four Oceania Championships, winning two golds and two silvers.

For six of the athletes it will be their first senior world championships.

The team is dominated by throwers, making up over 40 percent of the team and the highest representation on the team is from the Hamilton City Hawks club with three athletes.

New Zealand team for the worlds, running from August 4-13:

Camille Buscomb (Hamilton City Hawks, 5000 and 10,000m), Jacko Gill (Takapuna, shot put), Marshall Hall (Invercargill, discus), Ben Langton Burnell (Palmerston North, javelin), Eliza McCartney (North Harbour Bays, pole vault), Joseph Millar (Tauranga Ramblers, 200m), Angie Petty (University of Canterbury, 800m, Julia Ratcliffe (Hamilton Hawks, hammer), Quentin Rew (Wellington Harrier Athletic, 50km race walk), Zane Robertson (Hamilton Hawks, 10,000m), Tom Walsh (South Canterbury, shot put), Nick Willis (Lower Hutt, 1500m).