Valleys duo Athens-bound.

It's official!

Two Valleys United athletes will be competing at the Athens Olympics after NZ Olympic selectors confirmed Nick Willis' selection for the team. Nick had posted the A qualifying standard with his breakthrough 3min 32.68sec 1500m run in Rome earlier this month, so his selection was a simple rubber-stamping by the Games selectors. He joins the already-selected Jonathan Wyatt, who is currently based in Austria where he has been training for the Athens Games since February.
It will be Jonathan's second Olympics, but his first as a Valleys athlete. Valleys Utd has never had an athlete at the Games before, so to have two in one Olympiad is a fantastic achievement.
Jonathan will be joining the New Zealand team in Athens on 23 August, to minimise disruption to his training schedule.
Nick, meanwhile, is continuing to take part in build-up events around Europe for the next few weeks, over distances of 800m and 1500m.
Both Valleys and Wellington Scottish will have 2 athletes at the Games.
Scottish's two runners are 10,000m man John Henwood, and 5000m runner Michael Aish who was a late confirmation after achieving the B standard.
NZ selectors added five further athletes to bring the total NZ track and field contingent for Athens to 13. The others added are Stuart Farquhar (Javelin) Jason Stewart (800m) and Liza Hunter-Galvin (marathon).
The full New Zealand track and field team for Athens 2004 is:

Valerie Adams (Auckland) Shot Put
Michael Aish (USA) 5000m
Craig Barrett (Waikato BOP) 50km Walk
Stuart Farquhar (Waikato BOP) Javelin
Beatrice Faumuina (Auckland) Discus
Melina Hamilton (Canterbury) Pole Vault
Liza Hunter-Galvin (USA) Marathon
John Henwood (Auckland) 10000m
Kimberley Smith (USA) 5000m
Jason Stewart (Hawkes Bay) 800m
Dale Warrander (North) Marathon
Nick Willis (USA) 1500m
Jonathan Wyatt (Wellington) Marathon

For more information on the Olympic team, go to www.olympic.org.nz.