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Focused Azzopardi racing for ‘redemption’ at Maurie Plant Meet

It says plenty about sprinter Josh Azzopardi’s frame of mind that he’s racing for ‘redemption’ at tomorrow night’s Maurie Plant meet in Melbourne after finishing third in the 100m event at last weekend’s Adelaide International.

The 24 year old New South Wales Institute of Scholarship (NSWIS) holder said he would’ve once considered his effort in the 100m final – where he finished behind compatriot Jacob Despard and Japan’s Ryota Yamagata in a time of 10.35 – as reason to celebrate.

“My results in Adelaide the other night . . . coming third in the 100 and the fourth in the 200 . . . might appear to be good enough performances, but I was disappointed,” he said.

“In previous years I would’ve been stoked with that. But I had a bit of a block slip in the 100 and it threw my race out a little bit. It was just one of those things and I reckon everyone has had it happen to them, but, even so, I see Thursday as time to redeem myself.

“In this sport you need to hold high expectations of yourself. Coming off a 10.6 in Wollongong, and 10.15 in Canberra, I just didn’t put the race together the other night because that block slip meant I transitioned into my top end stages of the race a bit wobbly.”

Azzopardi has started the season in scintillating fashion, beating Australian athletics fastest man, and fellow NSWIS scholarship athlete, Rohan Browning in the 100m event at the Illawarra Track Challenge in Wollongong. He won the race in Australia’s sixth fastest time for all conditions.

The Camden Express described pipping Browning at the finish line as a career highlight, and something he’ll use to fuel his assault on the National Championships later this year.

“It was obviously awesome to beat Rohan,” he said. “He’s world class and he’s been the top dog for a while, everyone has chased him for such a long time . . . for me to be the first [local] guy to beat him in six years was very special. As I say, he’s a world class athlete and I was stoked by the result.

“I’ll be lining up against Rohan tomorrow at the ‘Maurie’ and I’ll be doing my best to go two from two. To win that race in Wollongong, and against the field that competed in it, was one of the best races I’ve ever had. I need to replicate it in Melbourne.

“[When I look back on the build-up to Wollongong] I felt really good with myself during the week, and training was going well. I had a lot of confidence. It was good to come off my hamstring injury from last year and put together for or five good months of uninterrupted pre-season training. Yeah, everything just came together on that day.

“I feel really good. My body is a little bit sore from Adelaide, but I have recovered well after doing the recovery I needed to do. I’m training well and I’m very happy with the way everything is travelling.

“Now it’s just about getting those small boxes ticked off leading into the nationals which are in a couple of months’ time.”

Azzopardi said his 2023 tour of Europe where he tested himself in different conditions had added another dimension to both his outlook and place in athletics.

‘It’s expanded my horizons and travelling throughout Europe last year was always only going to benefit me in the long run,” he said.

“If I decide to go over to Europe again – or anywhere else overseas for that matter – I won’t be looking at it through the eyes of a ‘newbie.’ I’m good with how I handled last year, but, going forward, I have no doubt I’ll handle it even better in the future.”

The Maurie Plant Meet at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium is Oceania’s only World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meet, the Maurie Plant and will kick-start the Olympic and Paralympic year for Australia’s athletes.

NSWIS will be represented at the meet by Azzopardi (100m) Browning (100 & 200m), Connor Murphy (Triple Jump), Julian Konle (Triple Jump), Sam Dale (Long Jump), Mali Lovell (Para 100m), Sebastian Sultana (100m), Lianna Davidson (Javelin), Erin Shaw (High Jump), Nicola Olyslagers (High Jump), Sarah Carli (Mixed 4x400m Relay), Chris Ius (200m), Liam Adcock (Long Jump), Rose Davies (5000m) and Ella Connolly (100m).