An eight-strong badminton team has been named to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The four men and four women from the length and breadth of New Zealand are a new generation of athletes set to follow in the footsteps of top Kiwi badminton players Sara Runesten-Petersen and Dan Shirley.
New Zealand Olympic Committee secretary general and Commonwealth Games team selector Barry Maister is delighted to welcome the athletes to the team. Theyre a young group of players and will face some tough competition in Delhi, he said. Many still have five to seven years ahead of them before they hit their peak and Delhi will provide invaluable international experience. Sara and Dan are great examples of what New Zealanders can achieve in this sport.
Team manager Roger Southby says the team has worked very hard to qualify. As amateur athletes the players have had a grueling preparation schedule mixing training, elite international competition and full-time work and study.
One of the youngest in the team, 20-year old Oliver Leyden-Davis, mixes twice daily trainings with full-time study for a Bachelor of Business Management at Waikato University and a part-time job as a warehouse assistant. Its pretty full on and Im tired by the end of the week, he said. Some weeks are worse than others, but its worth it.
Leyden-Davis says his strongest discipline is the mens doubles which he competes in along side Henry Tam (22) and hopes that Delhi will be an important stepping stone in his career. The Commonwealth Games is something Id wanted to do for a long time and its good to finally achieve it. Ive definitely got my eyes on the Olympics and going to Delhi is a step along the way.
Henry Tam also pairs with Donna Haliday (29) in the mixed doubles to form the teams top ranked partnership at 25 in the world.
Haliday, who trialed for the 2006 team to Melbourne but missed a spot, is thrilled to have been named. Its a dream come true and you could say Im a late bloomer, she said today. I was inspired to play badminton as a child in Ohakune when a top player visited my school, she said. Since then, I knew I wanted to make the Commonwealth Games team.
For Haliday, who works full-time with Badminton Auckland, says her challenge will be ensuring a favourable draw in Delhi. Weve got a busy schedule ahead training and competing in Asia and Tahiti before the games. Our objective is to stay within a fifth to eighth seeding to get a good draw. Were currently sixth and our challenge is to stay there. Weve got a tough competition ahead of us.
India, Malaysia, England and Singapore lead the world in badminton. While China wont be at the games, many of the other top nations will be.
Haliday, who was one of ten athletes to receive a Cadbury Chocolate Grant of $20,000, is delighted with the support of New Zealanders she is receiving. Im so proud to represent New Zealand and Ill do my best for my country.
The New Zealand badminton players will compete in both team and individual events. Final combinations are yet to be confirmed.
Runesten-Peters and Shirley are New Zealands most successful badminton athletes winning four bronze Commonwealth Games medals each between Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006.
New Zealand has been competing at the Commonwealth Games in badminton since it was introduced onto the pgames programme at Kingston, Jamaica in 1966. New Zealand has won a total of eleven medals in the sport.
New Zealands total Commonwealth Games squad is expected to number 195 athletes and 100 support staff. The team will come together to honour Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
The final selections will be made in early August and the Commonwealth Games take place in Delhi, India, October 3 14 2010.
Total athlete numbers will exceed 4,000 from 71 countries and will compete in 17 sports.
The New Zealand badminton team is:
Men
Joe Wu Auckland (originally Christchurch), 24
James Eunson Southland, 20
Henry Tam Auckland, 22
Oliver Leyden-Davis, Waikato, 20
Women
Donna Haliday, Auckland (originally Ohakune), 29
Anna Rankin, Southland, 20
Danielle Barry, Auckland (Waitkere), 21
Michelle Chan, Auckland, 23
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