Liam Adams added to Australian Olympic marathon squad

Australia's best-finishing male marathon runner at the Rio and Tokyo Games, the 37-year-old Adams will compete at his third Olympics.

Although he was ranked inside the top-80 eligible runners during the qualifying period, the Australian could still have missed out due to athletes from minor nations taking up 'universality places'.

Adams will join national record holder Brett Robinson and Patrick Tiernan on the start line for the men's marathon in Paris, while Sinead Diver, Genevieve Gregson and Jess Stenson will contest the women's race.

Adams was 24th at the Tokyo Games, 31st in Rio in 2016 and fourth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

He sits in sixth spot on the Australian alltime marathon list, with a personal best of two hours, eight minutes and 39 seconds.

"The nervousness and fear I've had over this last month have completely left my body," he said after being named for Paris.

"It was such a relief, an instant burst of energy. I'm so excited right now and can't wait to get stuck into my next training session.

"It's the pinnacle of our sport so when you get the opportunity to represent your country at the Olympics, you want to have the race of your life and represent your country with distinction.

"I know I'm a much better marathon runner than I was in my previous Olympics so I'm looking forward to that opportunity."

Australian Associated Press