Ego – with a capital ‘E’ – is speedy Azzopardi’s survival strategy

Ego Is Not a Dirty Word was a smash hit for the Aussie rock band Skyhooks in 1975, but ego – and be sure to spell that with a capital ‘E’ –  is helping to fuel Generation Now sprinter, Josh Azzopardi in his pursuit of a sub-10 time in the men’s 100m event.

But the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder concedes he’s also driven by the deeply embedded sprinter’s emotions of courage, fear, desire . . .

Azzopardi, who was named in the 4 x 100m Australian relay squad that will take on the Commonwealth’s fastest men at the Glasgow Games later this month, concedes that in a sport dominated by big dogs with even bigger personalities, every runner needs to own their lane to earn respect.

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Azzopardi, who won the Oceania Championships gold medal in Darwin before finishing second to Lachlan Kennedy when the Queenslander blitzed the 100m final at last April’s National Championships in a blistering 9.96 seconds, conceded there’s a sense of vulnerability whenever a sprinter takes their mark with all eyes in the stadium fixed upon them.

“It’s all about channelling that fear and channelling that nervousness into adrenaline and being able to use it to your advantage because a lot of emotions do get over the top of you, and they can drown you . . . you won’t be able to perform,” said the Paris Olympian.

“You know the capabilities you have. For me personally, I do get scared but, I use that in my own way to flick it and use [fear] as a positive – and I’m really proud of myself for that.”

That train of thought leads Azzopardi to philosophise courage and fear live side-by-side in the same cage. However, he insists when an athlete is being crushed by pressure they have to summon their strength to overpower any weakness. He’s learned through experience in that battle, a sprinter’s greatest comfort comes from putting in an honest and hard preparation.

“I think courage also comes down to [putting] all the work in and you’re confident in what you’ve done,” he offered before launching into a gruelling training session at the NSWIS HQ in Sydney Olympic Park. “[Do that and]  whatever the result is [a case of] ‘it is what it is’. Just knowing that you’ve done all the work and preparation leading up to that moment [means] you’ve pretty much won already.

“You’ve got to have a certain amount of comfort in your own mind because when you’re out there, you’re there by yourself no one can really save you from what going on out there. I’m very comfortable in myself and confident in my ability . . . putting my best foot forward when it counts.”

Azzopardi, who has been pitted against the likes of his hero, Canada’s seven-time Olympic medallist Andre de Grasse, the USA’s Olympic gold medallist Noah Liles and Kenya’s speedster Ferdinand Omanyala,  said while it is a dream come true to compete against them, he has never taken an autograph book to the track.

“They’ve obviously [run] around 9.7 secs and 9.8s and have Olympic medals . . . gold medals . . . and all that kind of stuff,” he said.  “It’s such a privilege for me to go against them, but every time I race them it is another opportunity to try and beat them; try to match them.

“Andre De Grasse, he came through the ranks a couple of years ago; finally got that gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and has taken off from there. He’s a great athlete to follow but when I race against him, it’s almost like you’ve got to put that to the side. He’s a competitor at the end of the day, but it’s such an honour and a privilege to race people of his calibre.”

Azzopardi said he will wear Australia’s colours proudly at Glasgow, describing it as another opportunity to walk from the track feeling proud of his efforts.

“I do this sport to make myself proud,” he said. “It was just a dream of mine [when I was] younger to make the Olympics and I’ve done that, but I still feel like there’s more untapped potential there and . . . I can’t . . . I feel like I can’t walk away from the sport and know that I haven’t fully fulfilled everything I put forward.

“It goes back to the argument of if I put everything forward and do all the sacrifices, it’ll play out in its own way. And however that comes about we’ll just take it on the chin and move forward with it.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS

Photos in green national kit: Australian Athletics