Home Australia Teen track star Claudia Hollingsworth’s ‘best day’ ends with Australian Olympic team

Teen track star Claudia Hollingsworth’s ‘best day’ ends with Australian Olympic team

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Nicola Olyslagers runs during a national championship race

Nineteen-year-old Claudia Hollingsworth enjoyed the “best day of her life” as the rising track star earned a national title and a place on Australia’s Olympic team in just a few hours.

Hollingsworth was one of 14 athletes selected for Australia’s Olympic team, with chef de mission Anna Meares present in Adelaide to officially punch his ticket to Paris.

The list also included Matt Denny (discus), Michelle Jenneke (hurdles), Jessica Hull (1,500m), Nicola Olyslagers (high jump), Eleanor Patterson (high jump), Peter Bol (800m), Lauren Ryan ( 5,000 m), Abbey Caldwell (800 m) and Chris Mitrevski (long jump).

A quartet of marchers was also selected, led by Jemima Montag but also featuring Rebecca Henderson, Kyle Swan and Rhydian Cowley.

This announcement marks the first of three waves of selections for Australia’s top athletes, with the final teams not being determined until July, just weeks before the Olympic Games begin.

Claudia Hollingsworth took the national 800m title on Sunday.(AAP: Matt Turner)

Hollingsworth provided one of the highlights of the meet with an incredible run to win the women’s 800m final, recording a personal best time of 1:58.40 and letting a dream come true.

“It’s a dream and a goal for a lot of people, so it was always in the back of my mind as something I wanted to do,” Hollingsworth said.

“So I thought about it a little bit, but I didn’t want to have that pressure. So I only thought about it once I crossed the finish line.

“It’s definitely the best day of my life. Having my family, my friends, my teammates and my coach here is crazy.”

“I’ve reached the peak of what I can do in Australia, so let’s see what I can do overseas.”

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