Joshua Azzopardi
{{Short description|Australian athlete (born 1999)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Joshua Azzopardi
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|11|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| height = 1.81 m{{cite web |title= Joshua AZZOPARDI |url=https://www.olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/joshua-azzopardi_1939801 |work=Paris 2024 Olympics |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006151938/https://www.olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/joshua-azzopardi_1939801 |archive-date=6 October 2024}} ([https://paris2024.rtve.es/es/paris-2024/atleta/joshua-azzopardi_1939801 alternate link])
| weight =
| sport = Athletics
| event = Sprint
| pb = 60m: 6.52 (2025)
100m: 10.06 (2025)
200m: 20.82 (2022)
4 x 100m: 38.12 (2024) AR
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}}
{{Medal|Country|{{flagu|Australia}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|Oceania Championships}}
{{Medal|Gold|2024 Suva|100 m}}
}}
Joshua Azzopardi (born 27 November 1999) is an Australian sprinter. In 2024, he became Oceania champion in the 100 metres.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/joshua-azzopardi-14743991 |website=World Athletics |access-date=22 July 2024 |title=Joshua Azzopardi}}
Early life
From Sydney, he started athletics when he was six years-old. He also played Australian Rules Football as a youngster and played rugby league for Camden Rams. He was offered a Rugby Sevens contract by Rugby Australia in 2019, but declined in order to focus on athletics. He received a New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship.{{cite web |url=https://www.nine.com.au/sport/athletics/news-2023-olympics-news-2023-why-sprinter-josh-azzopardi-shunned-rugby-australia-20230625-p5j5pt.html |website=Nine.com |access-date=22 July 2024 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Aussie speedster who shunned 'tempting' Rugby Australia lure opens up on bold Olympics dream |first=Zachary |last=Gates |date=2023}}
Career
Azzopardi ran as part of the Australian 4x100m relay team at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas, where they qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.{{cite web |website=Watch Athletics |url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5397/men-4x100m-results-world-athletics-relays-championships-2024 |access-date=12 May 2024 |title=Men 4x100m Results - World Athletics Relays Championships 2024 |date=5 May 2024}}
In June 2024, he won gold in the 100 metres at the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji, ahead of Australian champion Sebastian Sultana.{{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/joshua-azzopardi-australia-athletics-paris-2024-olympics-men-100m |website=Olympics.com |access-date=22 July 2024 |title=PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS: AUSTRALIA'S JOSHUA AZZOPARDI SECURES 100M QUOTA |first=Prathamesh |last=Palshikar |date=16 July 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7206470?eventId=10229630 |website=World Athletics |access-date=22 July 2024 |title=Oceania Athletics Championships |date=1 June 2024}} He competed in the 100 metres {{cite web |url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5834/men-s-100m-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics |access-date=28 December 2024 |title=Men's 100 Metres - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics |date=4 August 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/olympics/story/_/id/40571483/australian-josh-azzopardi-added-olympic-100m-field#:~:text=Jul%2016%2C%202024%2C%2003%3A,up%20alongside%20countryman%20Rohan%20Browning. |website=espn |access-date=22 July 2024 |title=Australian Josh Azzopardi added to Olympic 100m field |date=16 July 2024}} and in the men's 4x100m relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics,{{cite web |url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5861/men-s-4x100m-relay-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics |access-date=28 December 2024 |title=Men's 4 x 100 Metres Relay - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics |date=9 August 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-olympics-australia-athletics-team |website=Olympics.com |access-date=22 July 2024 |title=PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS: NICOLA OLYSLAGER HEADLINES 75-MEMBER AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS TEAM - FULL LIST |date=16 July 2024}} being part of the team which set a new Australian and Oceania Area record of 38.12 s in the heats.
Azzopardi surpassed the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships 60 metres qualifying mark with 6.52 s at the ACT Open Athletics Championships on 25 January 2025.{{cite web | url=https://capitalathleticsresults.com.au/Results/Season2024_25/Championships/U20_Open_Champs/Web/ | title=Meet Results }} He was runner-up to Lachlan Kennedy over 60 metres at the Australian short track national championships in Sydney on 1 February 2025.{{cite web |website=Athletics.com.au |url=https://www.athletics.com.au/news/connolly-and-kennedy-dominate-inaugural-australian-short-track-championships/ |date=1 February 2025 |title=CONNOLLY AND KENNEDY DOMINATE INAUGURAL AUSTRALIAN SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS |access-date=12 February 2025}} He ran a personal best 10.09 seconds for the 100 metres at the Perth Classic on 1 March 2025.{{cite web |url=https://www.athletics.com.au/news/kennedy-inches-closer-to-sub-10-performance-as-adcock-seizes-his-moment-at-perth-track-classic/ |website=Athetics.com.au |access-date=2 March 2025 |title=KENNEDY INCHES CLOSER TO SUB-10 PERFORMANCE AS ADCOCK SEIZES HIS MOMENT AT PERTH TRACK CLASSIC |date=1 March 2025}} He was selected for the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.athletics.com.au/news/world-champions-and-emerging-sprinters-named-on-australian-team-for-world-athletics-indoor-championships/|title= WORLD CHAMPIONS AND EMERGING SPRINTERS NAMED ON AUSTRALIAN TEAM FOR WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS|date=12 March 2025|accessdate=12 March 2025|website=Athletics.com.au}} He competed for Australia at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China, helping the Australian men's 4x100m team qualify for the 2025 World Championships.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/may/12/australia-mixed-4x400m-silver-world-athletics-relay-championships |website=The Guardian|accessdate=12 May 2025|title= Mixed 4x400m silver caps successful world relay championships for Australia|date=12 May 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics|australia/joshua-azzopardi-14743991}}
- [https://www.athletics.com.au/athlete/joshua-azzopardi/ Joshua Azzopardi] at Australian Athletics
- [https://athletics.possumbility.com/athletes/athlete7440.htm Joshua Azzopardi] at Australian Athletics Historical Results
- {{Australian Olympic Committee|joshua-azzopardi}}
- {{Commonwealth Games Australia|joshua-azzopardi}}
- {{Olympics.com|joshua-azzopardi}}
- {{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|53386}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azzopardi, Joshua}}
Category:Australian male sprinters
Category:Oceanian Athletics Championships winners
Category:Olympic athletes for Australia
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Australia
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen
{{Australia-athletics-bio-stub}}