In the men’s shot put, the formidable duo of Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill, both aiming for their third consecutive Olympic appearance, spearhead the challenge for medals.
Maddi Wesche, already a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, bolsters the shot put lineup, aiming to build on her impressive performances.
Sprinting sensation Zoe Hobbs, poised for her Olympic debut in the women’s 100m, carries the hopes of a nation eager to see a Kiwi in the Olympic sprinting finals after a century.
The team also features seasoned campaigners like Sam Tanner in the men’s 1500m and Camille French in the marathon, alongside promising talents Connor Bell, Tori Peeters, Lauren Bruce, and Ethan Olivier, each ready to leave their mark on the global stage.
“It’s so exciting,” said Hobbs. “I’ve had the dream of going to the Olympics since I was a little kid, I’ve been doing sports since the age of five and it’s something I’ve always wanted to achieve.
“It’s a real privilege, it’s been a number of years since we’ve had a woman compete in the 100m for NZ and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The athletics will be contested in Paris from July 27 to August 5 at the stunning Stade de France, with the marathon to wind its way through the city and past iconic landmarks.
All selections are conditional on confirmation of an Olympic quota place which should be received in early July.
Eliza McCartney
Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney stormed onto the international scene, winning the bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in her first ever major event.
Two years later McCartney backed up the bronze with a silver at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
McCartney first made the athletics world take notice of her abilities with a fourth place at the World Under 18 Championships in 2013.
At the end of 2015 McCartney set a world junior pole vault record, clearing 4.64m, just days before her eligibility for a junior record ended.
Since her podium finish on the Gold Coast she suffered several injury-troubled years which threatened her future in the sport.
However, in more recent times under the coaching guidance of Scott Simpson she has re-emerged and at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March she claimed her first global medal for eight years with a brilliant silver medal.
Away from athletics, Eliza has a passion for sustainability and taking positive action against climate change. She is one of nine World Athletics ambassadors for their World Athletics Champions for a Better World programme.
Tom Walsh
One of New Zealand’s star athletes for the past decade, Tom Walsh has two Olympic bronze medals to his name, claiming the podium finish at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
The Christchurch-based athlete is also a two-time World Indoor champion (in 2016 and 2018) and in 2017 snared the World outdoor title in London.
Coached by Hayden Hall, Tom has also enjoyed success at the Commonwealth Games winning shot put silver in Glasgow 2014 before taking back-to-back gold medals in Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.
Achieving his New Zealand record mark of 22.90m when winning bronze at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, the Timaru-raised athlete is a consistent harvester of medals on the international stage and in March 2024 claimed a fifth successive World Athletics Indoor Championships medal, winning silver in Glasgow.
A fully qualified builder, Tom, who has dyslexia, is a big supporter of the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand.
Jacko Gill
Jacko Gill is all set for a third successive Olympic appearance, in the mood to better his ninth place finishes in the men’s shot final in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
A gifted age-group performer, Jacko claimed back-to-back victories at both the 2010 and 2012 World U20 Championships as well as snaring gold at the 2011 World U18 Championships.
Coached by Dale Stevenson, Jacko has since gone on to enjoy an accomplished record as a senior athlete, memorably winning a silver medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games behind his team-mate Tom Walsh.
The Auckland-based athlete set his lifetime best of 22.12m last year and achieved his best ever finish at a senior global event when fifth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March.
Back in 2017 Jacko suffered from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, which threatened to derail his career but thankfully he has made a full recovery.
Maddi Wesche
The Aucklander is all set for her second Olympic appearance, where she will be seeking to better her sixth-place finish at Tokyo 2020.
An outstanding age-group athlete and following in the rich tradition of New Zealand shot put exponents, in 2018 she claimed gold at the World U20 Championships in Finland.
After setting a personal best (PB) for sixth in Tokyo 2020, Maddi has continued to steadily improve, regularly achieving a lifetime best performance at the major championship events.
She won a Commonwealth bronze medal in Birmingham 2022 and impressed at her most recent global championship competition when setting a PB of 19.62m for fourth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Maddi, who is coached by Mike Schofield, often competes in sunglasses describing them as her “lucky charm.”
Sam Tanner
Tauranga-based Sam Tanner is all set for his second Olympic appearance hoping to further garnish the rich tradition of NZ middle-distance running.
Exiting the heats of the 1500m on his Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, he has developed into a much improved athlete.
In 2022 he finished sixth in the Commonwealth Games final in Birmingham, recording a stunning PB of 3:31.34, describing himself as “the happiest sixth-place getter ever”.
A two-time World Championships semi-finalist, Sam currently sits number two on the all-time NZ lists for both the 1500m and mile.
Coached by Craig Kirkwood, he counts 2020 Tokyo Olympic triathlon bronze medallist Hayden Wilde amongst his training partners, and Sam is an avid surfer.
Zoe Hobbs
New Zealand’s fastest ever female 100m sprinter is set to make her Olympic debut in Paris.
Raised in Taranaki but based in Auckland, Zoe was a gifted age-group performer and made her international senior debut at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Coached by James Mortimer she impressed at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games to finish fifth in the women’s 100m final.
In 2023 she made history by becoming the first woman in Oceania to run below 11-seconds for the 100m and earlier this year placed fourth in the 60m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in an Oceania record of 7.06 – just 0.01 shy of the podium positions.
Zoe is a co-founder of an athlete nutrition business.
George Beamish
World Indoor 1500m champion George Beamish heads into his debut Olympics in Paris Games with high expectations in the men’s steeplechase.
Raised in the Hawke’s Bay, the versatile US-based athlete has developed into a world-class performer under the coaching guidance of Dathan Ritzenhein.
The owner of national records on the track over 3000m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase he competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, placing sixth in the 5000m final.
In 2023 he impressed to finish fifth in the steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships before causing a huge shock to claim a come-from-behind victory to snatch a dramatic 1500m gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March 2024.
Hamish Kerr
World Indoor high jump champion Hamish Kerr heads to his second Olympic Games full of confidence and belief after enjoying an outstanding 2024 campaign so far.
Raised in Auckland but now based in Christchurch, Hamish set a national high jump record of 2.31m in 2021 before later that year finishing tenth at the Tokyo Olympics.
His career continued to improve in 2022 when becoming the first Kiwi to win a global high jump medal with bronze at the World Indoor Championships before later that year mining gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
In March 2024 he achieved the greatest accomplishment of his career so far when setting a national record and world leading mark of 2.36m to take an exhilarating gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Coached by James Sandilands, in his spare time Hamish is a keen golfer.
Camille French
All set for her second Olympic appearance, Camille French (nee Buscomb) has won selection in the marathon for Paris 2024.
Hamilton-based Camille won a 2015 World University Games 5000m silver medal and competed in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, placing 12th and 14th, respectively.
Camille, who is coached by Nic Bideau, competed on the track at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 19th in the 10,000m and exiting the heats of the 5000m.
More recently focusing on the marathon distance, in her debut appearance over the 42,2km distance in December she posted an Olympic entry standard mark of 2:26:08 in Valencia.
A mother to Sienna, who was born in June 2022, she is married to NZ 400m hurdles Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games representative Cameron French.
Tori Peeters
NZ javelin record-holder Tori Peeters makes her Olympic debut in Paris after making significant gains in her international performances over the past couple of years.
Tori claimed sixth spot in the final of the women’s javelin at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
In 2023 she impressed to set a national javelin record of 63.26m in Yokohama Japan, and placed 13th at the World Championships in Budapest – missing a place in the final by one spot.
Tori also caught the eye on the Diamond League circuit claiming podium finishers in both Chorzow and in the final in Eugene.
Raised for much of her youth in Southland, Tori is now based in Cambridge and is coached by 1994 Commonwealth Games javelin silver medallist Kirsten Hellier.
Lauren Bruce
Lauren Bruce has earned selection for her second successive Olympic Games in the women’s hammer having also appeared at Tokyo 2020.
The Melbourne-based athlete, who is coached by Dale Stevenson, has made a significant breakthrough setting a national record of 73.47m in Hastings in 2020.
In 2021 she set an Oceania record of 74.61m in Tucson before later that year finishing 23rd at the Tokyo Olympics.
After finishing a creditable 13th in the 2022 World Championships final – missing the final by one place – she competed at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Hailing from Timaru, Lauren is a former gymnast and likes to relax by baking.
Connor Bell
National discus record-holder Connor Bell is all set for his maiden Olympic appearance at Paris 2024.
An outstanding age group talent, Connor is a former Commonwealth Youth Games and Youth Olympic Games discus champion.
In late-2021 he sustained a broken ankle but recovered to win selection for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games where he placed eighth in the final.
In 2023 he continued to improve, finishing tenth in the World Championships final and in the 2024 season, under the coaching guidance of Kirsten Hellier, bettered his national record out to 66.71m in Los Angeles.
Based in Auckland, he grew up on a lifestyle block and used to regular throw discus in the back paddock.
Imogen Ayris
Pole vaulter Imogen Ayris is all set to make her Olympic debut in Paris 2024.
A former gymnast who represented her country, she switched to pole vaulting. The Auckland-based athlete enjoyed the best performance of her career when, despite competing with a fractured foot, she won a bronze medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Coached by Scott Simpson, Imogen has competed at the past two World Championships, finishing joint 18th in the most recent edition in Budapest.
Imogen comes from a sporting background as her mother, Bridget, was a former gold medal-winning Maadi Cup sculler and her late father and “inspiration” Barny was a county rep in football and rugby in the United Kingdom.
Olivia McTaggart
Olivia McTaggart is one of three Kiwi women who have won selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in women’s pole vault.
Coached by Scott Simpson, the Auckland-based athlete was a former gymnast before switching to the pole vault and at the age of 18 she competed at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games where she finished ninth.
In 2022 she impressed at the World Athletics Indoor Championships to place sixth before later that year claiming fourth at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
A two-time World Championships representative, in 2023 Olivia achieved her personal best of 4.71m to take victory at the Auckland Championships.
Olivia’s brother is weightlifter Cameron McTaggart who represented his country at the Tokyo 2022 Olympic Games and Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Ethan Olivier
Teenage triple jumper Ethan Olivier has earned selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after enjoying an exciting improvement over the past few seasons.
Auckland-born Ethan first made his mark on the international stage when placing fourth in the men’s triple jump at the 2022 World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.
In 2023 he maintained his upwardly mobile progress when bettering the NZ triple jump record of his elder brother, Welre, with a 16.67m leap in Brussels.
This year Ethan set two NZ resident records with a best of 16.62m enroute to claiming the national senior title in Wellington.
Based in South Africa, Ethan is coached by his father, Wikus, a former Commonwealth Games triple jump representative for South Africa.
Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
