Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Athletics South Africa's technical team has opted for a combination of youth and experience in selecting the team to the World Championships in Japan in August.

The provisional team includes an array of seasoned international campaigners such as Hendrick Ramaala, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Elizne Naude.

The others are Khotso Mokoena, Chris Harmse, Norman Dlomo, George Mofokeng, Morne Nagel and Justine Robbeson.

The new generation includes Ruben Ramolefi, Poppy Mlambo, the reigning Nedbank South African Marathon queen and Teboho Masehla.

Leonard Chuene, ASA president, said: "There is no doubt that we have selected a team that has immense potential.

"When we returned from the Helsinki championships in 2005, we made it clear that our new strategy would be to start investing in the youth. That strategy proved successful at the 2006 Commonwealth Games where we did extremely well," said Chuene.

Team South Africa fared badly at the Helsinki championships where they did not even grab a single medal, something that angered Chuene and his board.

The team is:

Men - Sherwin Vries (100m), Nagel (200m), Alwyn Myburgh (400m hurdles), Pieter de Villiers (400m hurdles), Mulaudzi (800m), Ramolefi (3000m steeple chase), Mokoena (long jump), Robert Oosthuizen (javelin), Harmse (hammer), Ramaala, Dlomo, Mofokeng, Bethuel Netshivhevhe, Zongamele Dyubeni (marathon);

Women - Janice Josephs (long jump), Tebogo Masehla (3000m steeple chase), Naude (discus), Robbeson (javelin), Mlambo and Tanith Maxwell (marathon).