Stewart McSweyn's place on the Australian Olympic Team for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics has been locked in.
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King Island's McSweyn Olympic debut will be in 5000m and 10,000m events, having achieved Olympic qualification over those distances as well as in the 1500m.
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McSweyn was one of five from the athletics world that had their spot on the Australian Olympic Team confirmed on Thursday morning, along with javelin world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber, Rio bronze medalist walker Dane Bird-Smith, runner Jessica Hull (5000m) and racewalker Jemima Montag.
The latter two, like McSweyn, will be making their Olympics debut.
That group are all national and world champions who have achieved a Tokyo 2020 qualifying result.
McSweyn's fellow Tasmanian, Australian Olympic Chef de Mission congratulated the five for making the team.
"Each of them has shown what outstanding athletes they are, and we are excited to add our five track and field athletes to the Team, as athletics is always such an important part of every Games,'' he said.
"Having moved beyond the original dates of Tokyo 2020 the full focus moves to being ready for 23 July next year.
"On being told of their selection all five athletes have been positive that they can focus fully on the challenge ahead, to allow them to be at their best for the Games.
"I also want to thank Athletics Australia for its work with athletes from the community level to the champions named to the Olympic Team for Tokyo today."
McSweyn is presently overseas, with Stockholm Diamond League on the weekend next on his agenda.
He set a season's best time of 13:13.22 in finishing sixth in the 5000m at the Monaco Diamond League on Saturday in a race where when Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei claimed a new world record.
Australia's team for the game now sits at 78 athletes.
The Tokyo Olympics, which was moved to 2021 due to COVID-19, is now scheduled for July 23 to August 8.
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Alex Fair
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
