Tara Murray
Gisborne’s Mary Hanna is unlikely to represent Australia at a seventh Olympics after being named as a reserve for Australia’s equestrian team.
A nine-person team was named on Thursday, with a mixture of experienced and new Olympians.
Hanna was named as the travelling reserve for the dressage competition. She is one of three travelling reserves.
The travelling reserves can be selected as a replacement athlete onto the Australian Olympic Team in case of injury or other withdrawal of one of the selected athletes.
Hanna, 69, competed in every games since 1996 except for 2008.
In 2016, at the age of 61 became the oldest Australian athlete ever at an Olympic Games and backed it up at the Tokyo Games.
Bolinda’s Jessica Dertell also missed out on selection for the Games.
Edwina Tops-Alexander will make history as Australia’s first five-time Olympian showjumper after making her debut at Beijing in 2008, while Tokyo silver medallist in eventing, Shane Rose, has been selected for his fourth Games.
The team features four debutantes – two each in the dressage and jumping disciplines while the eventing team of Chris Burton, Shane Rose and Kevin McNab have a total of six Games and five Olympic medals between them.
Shane Rose has won a medal at all three of his Olympic appearances, Silver in Beijing in 2008, bronze in Rio and silver in Tokyo.
For the first time, Australia will compete with an all-female jumping team with Edwina Tops-Alexander joined by debutantes Hilary Scott and Thaisa Erwin.
