Ryan to replace Krstic at World Junior Champs
Ellen Ryan will replace Kristina Krstic at the World Junior Championships at Broadbeach. Western Australia’s Kristina Krstic has voluntarily relinquished her position to defend two World Junior Championships titles at the upcoming international competition in April.
Kristic, 21, who is the defending champion of both the women’s singles and mixed pairs disciplines at the sport’s only under-25 international event, has reluctantly renounced her spot in order to focus her efforts on university commitments and impending exams.
The National Selection Panel, led by National Coach Steve Glasson, unanimously supported Krstic’s decision to prioritise her tertiary studies, and said that it would not effect her position within the Australian Jackaroos squad.
“This was a very tough decision for Kristina, however it is unanimously supported by all selectors under the circumstances,” Glasson said.
With an abundance of young talent cutting their teeth on the national and international scene, the selectors weren’t hard pressed to find a suitable replacement, with reigning Australian Open blue-ribbon women’s singles winner Ellen Ryan, 18, selected to don the green and gold uniform as her successor at the event on the Gold Coast.
As a result of her inclusion, Ryan, who plays out of Cabramatta but lives in Goulburn, will now team-up with fellow 2015 Australian Open singles titleholder, Aaron Teys, 22, in a formidable mixed pairs combination, and will also compete in the singles discipline.
Ryan and Teys will be joined in the field by fellow Jackaroo Chloe Stewart, 20, who is set to partner Corey Wedlock, 19.
Similar to previous stagings of the event, a further three Australian women have also been granted the chance to compete due to positional vacancies in the field.
St Johns Park duo Dawn Hayman and Jamie-Lee Worsnop, both 18, and Bribie Island’s Natasha Jones, 20, have been afforded the opportunity to participate, and will represent their home country in the singles, but partner an international competitor in the mixed pairs discipline.
The trio’s partners have yet to be confirmed by World Bowls.
The World Junior Championships will be staged at Broadbeach Bowls Club on the Gold Coast from April 9 to 15.
Bowls Australia would like to acknowledge the assistance and funding provided by the Australian Commonwealth Games Association to Bowls Australia for athletes in the 2016 NextGEN AUSComGames Squad program.
NextGEN AUSComGames was devised by the ACGA to provide assistance to junior players who have been identified as potential 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, and/or 2018 or 2022 Commonwealth Games level athletes.
Caption: Ellen Ryan has been given the call-up to compete at the World Junior Championships in April.
