Twenty-four-year-old Josh Azzopardi from Camden, NSW, has an extensive and impressive portfolio with competitive athletics, starting his journey as a little fella in the under-6 age group for Camden Little Athletic. He continued into senior age categories, where he made a name for himself at each level of competitive sprinting. Today, he has the privilege of being able to call himself an Olympian.
During his senior career, Josh has sprinted around the globe from the starting blocks at Onslow Oval to the tartan of countries like the Bahamas, China, Fiji, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This itinerary allowed Josh to compete in some familiar-sounding competitions like the World Relays, the World University Games, the Oceania Championships and the Commonwealth Games. It’s safe to say Josh has run his fair share of metres.
Josh competes in the 100 and 200-metre track events, as well as the 4×100-metre relay. After an impressive run at the Australian qualifications, Josh and his relay team, Lachlan Kennedy, Jacob Despard, and Calab Law, delivered an amazing performance and were locked in for the 2024 games. However, Azzopardi fell just short of qualifying for the individual 100-metre event. Yet, having the attitude of a gracious athlete, Josh was focused on the relay, and his appearance at the Olympics for the individual 100-metre event was to lay at rest for another four years.
That being said, on the commencement of the 100-metre heats in Paris, Josh was a mere 780km away in Dublin. This is where the career-altering phone call from Athletics Australia arrived, notifying Josh of the withdrawal of one of the runners was made. Unbeknownst to him, he had now taken their position and it’s safe to assume that bags were packed swiftly and the earliest tickets were booked to the Stade de France.
Since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Australia has only ever had one representative at each Olympics in the 100-metre sprint. Josh’s appearance this year made him the second runner Australia has had in 24 years. Breaking a 24-year-old athlete drought at 24 years of age. It seems like fate…with a little bit of skill.
Surprisingly, becoming an Olympian wasn’t always his ultimate goal. Azzopardi initially started Little A’s for “the basic movements of life,” and played AFL, Rugby League and OzTag alongside the competitive track. Just like any other kid, he participated in a variety of sports to burn off energy over the weekend and play with mates. But not all children excel in their respective sports to the extent of breaking and setting records. This is where Josh was set apart and his dream of being on the global stage slowly rose to his attention.
“I was playing footy throughout my teenage years but once I started running pretty quick …that’s when the Olympic dream kind of started,” Azzopardi said.
Pretty quick is a humble way of saying much quicker than anyone else on the field.
Unfortunately, being untouchable wasn’t possible for Azzopardi when he took the start line amongst the most decorated sprinters in the world. Heat two, lane four, on August 8th, Josh waited for the gun while surrounded by spectators, spandex and sweat. There was nothing but tunnel vision for Azzopardi. Everything led towards the Omega at the end of the track. Bang, he placed fourth with a time of 10.20, beating Australia’s previous runner, Rohan Browning, with a time of 10.29. Everything was looking up for Azzopardi. Continuing to the further heats, Josh finished his debut placing 36th, which was a motivator for him, rather than a deterrent.
That again, is the mentality that a successful athlete must adopt.
“Just the whole experience of it makes me kind of want to do it again,” Josh said.
“You know, I performed well, but I also missed out in the semi-final only just, so that was another kind of motivator for me going into this next season.
“We’ve got world champs next year so I definitely want to try and push for the semi-final. And then, you know, keep progressing over the next four years, heading into LA.”
Josh is the embodiment of persistence and clearly has an admirable attitude. A quality that most Camden residents possess (if I do say so myself).
The place he calls home, Camden, is a small town 65 kilometres southwest of Sydney’s CBD. Small towns like Camden tend to be somewhat disconnected from the endless opportunities of the world beyond their small sphere. This is mainly due to being estranged from the surrounding major cities, and the lack of sophisticated facilities it usually takes for children to become part of the elites. Josh Azzopardi and his fast twitch fibres, however, don’t see these things as an obstacle, but rather another motivator to reach the highest status. Along with his globe-trotting achievements, he has without choice become an idol for the people of Camden. His influence on this tight-knit community has been remarkable and is one of the main highlights and responsibilities of being a star athlete. So what kind of people would we be if praising our Olympian wasn’t on the agenda?
“The support back here was crazy when I was overseas,” Azzopardi said, smiling.
“I’ve gone down to a couple little As nights and it’s been unreal down there and you know, the community gets around it a lot.
“So I definitely …hope I’m a role model to younger kids and hopefully show them that, you know, if you do put your mind to something that you’re able to do it.”
Josh Azzopardi isn’t just tied to the title of being an Olympian. He’s a symbol of what hard work, resilience and a bit of hometown grit can achieve. His expeditions are a reminder that regardless of where you start, no goal is out of reach. As his focus hones in on his future goals in the World Championships and the Los Angeles Olympics, he carries the hopes and pride of his community in Camden.