Josh Ralph is the unluckiest man in Australian sport.Ralph qualified for the Olympics but has been left out of the final athletics team for Rio, announced on Wednesday.Four men qualified for the 800 metres but with only three places available on the team the 25-year-old former national title holder was overlooked for Luke Matthews, who was automatically selected, Jeff Riseley and Peter Bol. Ralph beat Riseley two weeks ago in Finland.Likewise veteran 5000m runner Collis Birmingham was also qualified but not selected for Rio but after he finished behind training partner Patrick Tiernan in a head-to-head race last week in England this omission was not surprising.The confirmation of 18 new names added to the team confirmed that Australia will have a female runner in every track event in Rio for the first time since Sydney 2000.Australia presently has a team to 61 for Rio, one short of Atlanta which was the biggest team Australia had taken to an away Olympics. In Atlanta, however, Australia had four relay teams which inflated the numbers compared to Rio where Australia will take just one relay team, the women's 4x400m.There remains a chance further names could be added to the team depending on roll downs - the system that applies in athletics where the world body tops up fields with the next best qualified athletes in events that do not have a full complement of qualified athletes.With Sally Pearson finally ruled out injured, Australia enters these Games for the first time in a long time without one athlete who is regarded as the gold medal favourite.  
There is no Pearson, no Steve Hooker, no Jana Pittman or Cathy Freeman, and Mitch Watt, the world championships silver medallist long jumper who went to the last Olympics as one of the favourites and took home another silver medal, was unable to overcome injury to qualify this time.In his stead the man who has overtaken his mantle, the world championships silver medallist Fabrice Lapierre will be the strongest medal hope, with the long jump field wide open and Lapierre in strong and consistent form.Newly minted Olympic gold medallist road race walker Jared Tallent is a perennial favourite and with the Russians banned from competing and an Italian drug cheat who has also previously denied him gold now also banned the prospects for Tallent are good.Australia has a good depth of talent this year without the standout medal favourites. Riseley has made it to his third Olympics and has spoken of his desire to finally translate outstanding domestic form to a big world-class event.National record holder Ryan Gregson is in the form of his life and in the hotly contested 1500m race is a strong chance to make the final, which would itself be an outstanding effort in an event dominated by East African runners.Melissa Duncan in the 1500m, who was picked for the team in   April has, like Pearson, been forced to withdraw through injury.Jess Thornton a 400m runner who won gold at the 2014 world youth Olympics, is at 18 the youngest member of the team, while 40-year-old marathon runner Scott Westcott is the oldest. Both will be competing at their first Olympics."More athletes than ever before will compete in individual events at an Olympic Games since Sydney 2000, and that depth of talent is further highlighted by the 40 debutants we have competing at this Olympic Games," Australia's head coach Craig Hilliard said."Competition at Rio 2016 will be hard fought, but I am confident that our team will do both themselves and their country proud, providing many highlights. I'm looking forward to our team coming together at our camp in Bradenton, Florida, later this month, before we arrive in the Olympic host city from   August 8."Maddy Hills and Gen La Caze are both selected for both of the 3000m steeplechase and the 5000m. Likewise rising star Luke Matthews has added the 1500m to the 800m he had already qualified for with the national title run in Olympic time in   April.Athletics is the biggest Olympic team, ahead of swimming with 39.
AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS OLYMPIC TEAM FOR RIO:100m: Josh Clarke (NSW)200m: Alex Hartmann (Qld)800m: Peter Bol (Vic), Luke Mathews (Vic), Jeff Riseley (Vic)1500m: Ryan Gregson (NSW), Luke Mathews (Vic)5000m: Sam McEntee (Vic), Brett Robinson (Vic), Patrick Tiernan (Qld)10,000m: David McNeill (Vic), Ben St Lawrence (NSW)Long Jump: Henry Frayne (Qld), Fabrice Lapierre (NSW)High Jump: Joel Baden (Vic), Brandon Starc (NSW)Pole Vault: Kurtis Marschall (SA)Shot Put: Damien Birkinhead (Vic)Discus Throw: Matt Denny (Qld), Benn Harradine (Qld)Javelin: Hamish Peacock (Tas), Josh Robinson (Qld)Marathon: Liam Adams (Vic), Michael Shelley (Qld), Scott Westcott (NSW)20km Walk: Dane Bird-Smith (Qld), Rhydian Cowley (Vic), Jared Tallent (Vic)50km Walk: Chris Erickson (Vic), Brendon Reading (ACT), Jared Tallent (Vic)Decathlon: Cedric Dubler (Qld)100m: Melissa Breen (ACT)200m: Ella Nelson (NSW)400m: Morgan Mitchell (Vic), Anneliese Rubie (NSW)800m: Selma Kajan (Vic)1500m: Jenny Blundell (NSW), Zoe Buckman (Vic) Linden Hall (Vic)5000m: Madeline Hills (NSW), Genevieve LaCaze (Qld), Eloise Wellings (NSW)10,000m: Eloise Wellings (NSW)100m Hurdles: Michelle Jenneke (NSW)400m Hurdles: Lauren Wells (ACT)3000m Steeplechase: Madeline Hills (NSW), Genevieve LaCaze (Qld), Victoria Mitchell (NSW)Long Jump: Chelsea Jaensch (Qld), Brooke Stratton (Vic)High Jump: Eleanor Patterson (Vic)Pole Vault: Alana Boyd (Qld)Discus Throw: Dani Samuels (NSW)Javelin: Kim Mickle (WA), Kathryn Mitchell (Vic), Kelsey-Lee Roberts (ACT)Marathon: Milly Clark (NSW), Jess Trengove (SA), Lisa Weightman (Vic)20km Walk: Tanya Holliday (SA), Regan Lamble (Vic), Rachel Tallent (Vic)4x400m Relay: Monica Brennan (Vic), Morgan Mitchell (Vic), Anneliese Rubie (NSW), Caitlin Sargent (Qld), Jessica Thornton (NSW), Lauren Wells (ACT)