Australia will have two runners in the blue-riband Olympic men's 100m for the first time in 24 years after Josh Azzopardi received a last-minute call-up to the Paris Games.
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The 24-year-old received a quota spot and will now line up alongside countryman Rohan Browning.
The much-improved Azzopardi has set two personal bests in 2024 - most recently when he stopped the clock at 10.14 seconds in Geneva in June.
He also beat newly-crowned Australian champ Sebastian Sultana and Browning to win the Oceania 100m title in Suva last month in 10.33.
Azzopardi, Browning and Sultana are all in the Australian 4x100m relay squad for the Paris Games.
Australia will be well represented in the short sprints in Paris with Calab Law (men's 200m), Ella Connolly and Bree Masters (both women's 100m) and Torrie Lewis and Mia Gross (both women's 200m) joining Azzopardi and Browning.
Both 4x100m squads also qualified in a track and field squad of 75, the largest Australia has sent to an overseas Olympics.
The last time Australia had more than one individual runner in the men's 100m was back at the Sydney 2000 Games.
Matt Shirvington was fifth in his semi-final on home soil, while Patrick Johnson and Paul di Bella were eliminated in the earlier rounds.
Browning - who advanced to the Olympic 100m semis three years ago in Tokyo after winning his opening-round heat in 10.01 - has had to manage a chronic knee problem for much of the year.
He and coach Andrew Murphy decided the Sydneysider's best pre-Games preparation was to focus on training and rehab at their base in northern Italy rather than chase times on the European circuit.
The Australian track and field's team's pre-Olympics camp is in the southern French city of Montpellier.
The opening round of the men's 100m is on August 3.
Australian Associated Press
