Wikipedia

Jacob Despard

Jacob Despard (born 20 November 1996) is an Australian sprinter. He competed at the 2024 Olympic Games.[1]

Jacob Despard
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1996-11-20) 20 November 1996 (age 29)
Hobart, Tasmania
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Sport
SportTrack and Field
Event
Sprinting

Early life

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From Tasmania, he was a keen cricketer in his youth and specialised as a fast bowler, before focusing on athletics.[2][3][4]

Career

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He made his junior international debut at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon.[5] He relocated from Tasmania to Melbourne and shortly afterwards won the Stawell Gift race in 2018.[6] He made his senior Australian debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.[2]

He ran as part of the Australian 4x100m relay team which qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.[7][8] He was a member of Australia's 4x100-metre men's relay team at the 2024 Olympic Games that ran a time of 38.12 seconds to set a new national record.[9][10][11]

He finished third behind Lachlan Kennedy and Josh Azzopardi over 60 metres at the Australian short track national championships in Sydney on 1 February 2025.[12] In September 2025, he competed in the men's 4 x 100 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[13][14]

On 11 April 2026, he was a finalist over 100 metres at the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships.[15] He was selected for the Australian team to compete at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.[16]

References

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  1. ↑ "Jacob Despard". World Athletics. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Jacob Despard". Athletics.com.au. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Two more Tasmanians confirmed for Paris Olympics". The Mercury. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "What it means for these Tassie athletes to reach sport's pinnacle". The Mercury. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Thomas-Wilson, Simeon (25 March 2014). "Tassie sprinters Jacob Despard, Samantha Lind and Jesse Usoalii to compete in IAAF event in Oregon". The Mercury. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Rollason, Bridget (2 April 2018). "Stawell Gift: A case of sixth-time lucky for Victorian-based Tasmanian Jacob Despard". abc.net. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Shaw, Rob (6 May 2024). "Tasmanians eye Paris after Olympic qualification in The Bahamas". Examiner.com. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Men 4x100m Results - World Athletics Relays Championships 2024". Watch Athletics. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Mathieson, Andrew (9 August 2024). "Hamstrung Law goes out in a puff at Paris Olympics". nit.com. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  10. ↑ Hann, Ben (23 September 2024). "Resilient Despard reflects on bittersweet Olympic debut". Examiner.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  11. ↑ Rowbottom, Chris (25 July 2024). "You might be familiar with Ariarne Titmus and Eddie Ockenden, but what about the other Tasmanians competing at the Paris Olympics?". abc.net. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "CONNOLLY AND KENNEDY DOMINATE INAUGURAL AUSTRALIAN SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS". Athletics.com.au. 1 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "GREEN AND GOLD TO SHINE IN TOKYO WITH LARGEST ATHLETICS TEAM YET". Athletics.com.au. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Australian Championships". World Athletics. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "KENNEDY AND LEWIS HEADLINE AUSTRALIAN SQUADS FOR WORLD ATHLETICS RELAYS". Athletics.com.au. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
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