Hamish Kerr from New Zealand in the final of the men’s high jump at Stade de France, Paris. Photo: Photosport
New Zealand will send its largest team ever to the World Indoor Athletics Champs, with 12 athletes selected for the event in China later this month.
Olympic high jump champion Hamish Kerr leads the squad and will be looking to defend the Indoor world title he won last year.
New Zealand won four medals at the event last year finishing third on the medal table.
"I'm looking forward to defending my title and ready for some big jumps," Kerr said.
Joining Kerr is a full complement of shot putters with two men and two women selected.
Paris Olympic silver medallist Maddi Wesche and Kaia Tupu-Smith will contest the women's event.
The United States based Tupu-Smith who is at the University of Washington in Seattle will be representing New Zealand for the first time.
Tom Walsh who won silver at the 2024 World Indoor Champs in Glasgow is joined by Jacko Gill who finished seventh at the Paris Olympics and fifth at last year's World Indoor Championships.
Olivia Taggart (left), Imogen Ayris (centre), and Eliza McCartney (right) at the Paris Olympics pole vault final. Photo: Simon Stacpoole / www.photosport.nz
A notable absentee is pole vaulter Eliza McCartney who won silver in Glasgow last year.
McCartney's only recently returned to competition after the Paris Olympics, contesting the national track and field champs in Dunedin at the weekend but she failed to reach the qualifying mark.
Paris Olympians Olivia McTaggart and Imogen Ayris did reach the qualifying standard however and will compete in China.
Sprinters Zoe Hobbs and Tiaan Whelpton will contest the 100m, while middle distance runners Maia Ramsden and Laura Nagel will compete in the 1500m.
Ramsden has been in good recent form setting a new New Zealand mile record in Boston to qualify for China.
Rounding out the team is Canada based 800m runner Alison Andrews-Paul, who recently ran the fourth fastest time by a New Zealand woman over the distance.
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