Olympics commentator and 17-time Australian track champion Tamsyn Lewis-Manou is confident track and field’s international competition stage will help maintain the sport’s appeal to Australia’s up and coming elite female athletes.

“I think for female track and field athletes, there’s less distraction than in other sports that are high-profile money-wise,” Lewis-Manou shares with Inside Sport. “Athletics loses a lot of talented boys to AFL. There’s no way around that - it pays the bills. And then there’s cricket …

“The current batch of Aussie track and field girls possibly watched the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. It’s one of those sports which is great for females to do and be a part of.

“For Australian female athletes, track and field is still a really high-profile sport that seems to hold onto its talent, especially during a time like now, being in an Olympic year and the fact we have a home Commonwealth Games coming up 2018.”

Australia’s track and field team for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games boasts 60 athletes, ensuring its position as the largest section of the Australian Olympic Team. The team currently in Rio is the second-biggest Australian track and field team to compete at an Olympic Games hosted internationally, behind the 1996 Atlanta Games, with the Sydney 2000 Games team and the Melbourne 1956 Games team the two biggest contingents.

Despite London 2012 gold-medallist Sally Pearson’s absence through injury, Australia has sent plenty of female talent to Rio for Aussie Olympic track and field fans to be optimistic about. Pole-vaulter Alana Boyd will be competing at her third Olympics, 21-year-old Morgan Mitchell (pictured above) will be looking to back up her appearance in the 400m semi-finals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, while long jumper Brooke Stratton, who broke Bronwyn Thompson’s 14-year Aussie record in Perth this year, will be another highlight.

“Another one we’ll be looking out for is Eleanor Patterson, the high jumper from country Victoria,” says Lewis-Manou, herself a Commonwealth Games 400m relay gold-medallist at Kuala Lumpur, Manchester and Melbourne.

“Eleanor’s a lovely girl. She’s still so young but has a Commonwealth Games gold to her name already. On her day she can push close to that two-metre barrier, which no Australian has ever gone over before. If she does that, with looking at how the world jumpers have performed this year, she’s a genuine medal chance.

“And then there are our throwers,” says Lewis-Manou, who will be sitting alongside commentator Bruce McAvaney while calling the action inside the Olympic Stadium for Channel Seven. “Javelin thrower Kim Mickle is returning from injury, so we’re not sure how she’s going to throw – but we do know she knows how to win a medal. Another of our javelin throwers, Kathryn Mitchell, is performing really well on the world stage; she’s podiumed in the Diamond League, which says she’s there or there abouts as well. And Dani Samuels is a big chance in the women’s discus.

“The girls who I’m speaking about are lovely girls. They’re brilliant, fantastic, great role-model girls.”

The track and field competition will span nine days from August 12, with 47 medal events to be decided.