Also featuring a record 11 women, the history making team of two second-time Olympians and 11 debutants was announced at the MCG’s Australian Sports Museum Olympic Gallery today.

Seventeen-year-old Brock Batty will become the youngest male from any nation to ever contest Olympic trampoline when he makes his Olympic debut in Paris. Aged 17 years 211 days when he is due to compete in Paris, he succeeds Kazakh Pirmammad Aliyev who was 18 years 285 days when he competed at Rio 2016.

In Artistic Gymnastics, Emily Whitehead returns for her second Games, while Emma Nedov, Kate McDonald, Ruby Pass, Breanna Scott and Jesse Moore will make their Olympic debuts.

The Rhythmic Gymnastics team includes Tokyo Olympian Lidiia Iakovleva and debutants Saskia Broedelet, Phoebe Learmont, Emmanouela Frroku and Jessica Weintraub.

Iakovleva is set to make history as the first Australian to compete both individually and as part of a group in Rhythmic Gymnastics.

Emmanouela Frroku, aged 17 years 8 days on day one of the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition, will be the second youngest Australian in Rhythmic Gymnastics behind Ann Kerr who competed at Los Angeles 1984.

The 13-strong team eclipses our previous largest Olympic gymnastics squad of 12 from Tokyo 1964, while the 11 women on the Team eclipses Australia’s previous high of nine at Tokyo 2020.

Deputy Chef de Mission Kaarle McCulloch announced the team in the Olympic Gallery at Melbourne’s Australian Sports Museum.

“This is a history making Australian Olympic Gymnastics Team,” McCulloch said. “Congratulations to all of the athletes on being part of this special group.

“What a fantastic achievement by the entire team at Gymnastics Australia and the friends, families and supporters of this team to enable this milestone.

“Gymnastics is one of Australia’s most participated in sports and I am so excited for Australians to watch this team perform at the highest level in Paris.”

Twenty-eight-year-old Emma Nedov’s selection comes after narrowly missing out in 2016 and 2020. After spending more than two years away from the sport this Olympic cycle, she is ecstatic her comeback has paid off.

“I wanted to give it one last go to make my Olympic dream a reality,” she said. “I am over the moon to have made the team and I am so excited to share the experience with Emily, Kate, Ruby and Brenna, and the rest of the Australian team.

“We are going to give it our all and make every Australian proud.”

Seventeen-year-old high-school student Brock Batty travels up to an hour and a half one way to get to training by public transport almost daily from the family home in Melbourne’s south-east to chase his dreams.

“It’s something I’ve honestly thought about every single day since the Olympic dream was born when I started gymnastics,” he said.

“It’s crazy to think about that it’s actually happening, and I’ll be competing at an Olympics.”

Lidiia was Australia’s sole representative in the individual Rhythmic Gymnastics competition in Tokyo but this time around she will be a part of Australia’s second ever Rhythmic Gymnastics group to compete at an Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old is relishing the change.

“I am so excited to not only compete at my second Olympic Games but to also share this moment with my teammates Emma, Jess, Phoebe and Saskia. It’s goal we worked very hard towards,” she said.

“It has been a team effort not only from us as gymnasts but also our coaches, Tania Belan and Iuliia Iakovelva, our club, Aspire Gymnastics Academy, and our parents.”

Gymnastics Australia Interim CEO and High-Performance Director Chris O’Brien was proud to see the record setting team announced.

“Assembling our biggest ever squad for an Olympic Games is an incredible achievement that everyone in the gymnastics community is immensely proud of,” he said.

“The 13 athletes selected are a testament to the athlete-centred approach and investment in leadership development by Gymnastics Australia in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Australia.

“Our team contains an exciting mix of youth and experience from 17-year-old national champions Ruby Pass and Brock Batty to 28-year-old Oceania champion Emma Nedov and we cannot wait to see them shine in front of the rest of the world.”

The Gymnastics competition will be held at two venues. Rhythmic Gymnastics between 8-10 August at Porte de La Chapelle Arena. Bercy Arena will host Artistic Gymnastics on 27 July to August 1 and August 3 to 5. Trampoline will also be held at the Bercy Arena on August 2.