| Band of hopes and glory |
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Sam McPhee The Daily Telegraph July 9, 2010 A NEW breed of young Australians hope to lift the nation back to the pinnacle of world athletics when they contest the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada, starting on July 20. Sam Baines, 19, who holds the Australian under-18 record for 110m hurdles, says he is aiming high in Moncton. ``I hope pretty much to get through to the finals, hopefully a top-five finish,'' Baines said. Victorian under-20 record holder Kimberly Mulhall, niece of former Olympian Gael Mulhall, was also in good form and confident of a medal in the discus and shot put. Discus thrower Julian Wruck is another with bright ambitions and said his scholarship to Texas Tech University in America ``gives a really new perspective on the sport''. Amy Pejkovic heads to Canada in the best form of her career. Last year she smashed her own PB to claim a silver medal in Italy and this year is the top-ranked Australian in the high jump. A team of 32 athletes will carry the hopes of a nation with dreams of one day holding an Olympic medal. |