ATHLETICS NEWS - Three groups of athletes have been included as part of an extended Preliminary Team announced by Athletics South Africa (ASA) for the IAAF World Athletics Championships to be held in Doha, Qatar between 27 September and 6 October 2019.
A total of 40 athletes who have achieved the qualifying standards in their events have been included in the provisional squad, and they have been split into two groups, with 30 individuals who have met all the criteria and 10 others who have not ticked all the boxes to guarantee their places in the final team.
A third group of 13 athletes who are knocking on the door of the qualifying standards in their disciplines have also been named. Caster Semenya (800m), whose inclusion in the final team will depend on the outcome of an appeal at the Swiss Supreme Court.
With the Preliminary Team expected to increase in size as the international season gains momentum, the squad is already packed with elite stars including defending world champions Luvo Manyonga (long jump), Wayde van Niekerk (400m) - whose participation will need to be approved by the ASA board as he missed this year's national championships.
Athletes will have until 6 September to achieve all the required criteria to be included in the final ASA team.
