Gymnastics: Lauren Mitchell to spearhead Australian team

World champion Lauren Mitchell will spearhead the Australian gymnastics team to compete at next month's Artistic World Championships after dominating a two-day selection trial in Canberra.

Mitchell - Australia's first ever female world champion after claiming gold on the floor at last year's world titles in Rotterdam - will defend her title in Tokyo in October after a standout performance at the Australian Institute of Sport this week, her 15.30 on the vault a highlight of the competition.

She will be joined on the team by Georgia Rose Brown, Ashleigh Brennan, Emily Little, Larrissa Miller and Mary-Anne Monckton for the competition which starts in the Japan capital on October 7.

The world championships also double as the main qualification event for the 2012 London Olympics, with the top eight teams earning direct entry.

All individual medallists also qualify for the Olympics, while there will also be a second chance for those teams who miss out in Tokyo, with teams ranked nine through to 16 to compete for the final four berths at the test event in London in January.

Mitchell, Brennan, Little and Miller were all part of the Australian team which finished sixth at last year's world championships.

Prashanth Sellathurai, who already has a bronze and silver world championship medal to his name on the pommel horse, will be hoping to go one better when he leads an experienced men's team in Tokyo.

Joshua Jeffries worked his way back from injury to confirm his spot on the team, which is rounded out by Sam Offord, Thomas Pichler, Luke Wadsworth and Luke Wiwatowski.

Both teams will take part in a two-week training camp in Canberra in the lead-up to their departure for Japan on September 30.

- AAP