Marty Jackson

EVENTS:  Men's F38 Shot

AGE:  45 (DOB 18 Feb 1978)

COACH:  John Eden

STATE: VIC

AUSTRALIAN TEAM DEBUT: 2017 World Para Athletics Championships

PERSONAL BEST: Shot Put 15.46m (2021)

BIOGRAPHY

Marty Jackson is relatively new to Para sport, making his debut at the Oceania/Melanesian Championships in 2016.
However, he is not new to sport, as a former gridiron player with the Geelong Buccaneers. Tragically he sustained an injury during a misguided tackle, which caused a knee dislocation while playing gridiron. It led to sensory ataxia/loss of proprioception and partial paralysis lower left leg.

But his desire for sport remained strong, taking up athletics in 2014 to give himself something to focus on and have a goal to work towards after sustaining his injury.

His journey was slow early with a best of 9.19m in January 2015. By 2016 he had reached 11.32m, and 13.47m in 2017. 

In his global world championships debut in 2017, at the London World Para-Athletics Championships, Marty placed fourth. Competing at home in 2018, he won silver in the F38 shot put at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a distance of 13.74m.

After registering many 14 metres puts for a few years, at his second World Para Athletics Championships in November 2019, he surpassed the 15-metre barrier with a PB 15.14m. Mid-pandemic, in the summer of 2021, he hit a PB 15.46m, but sadly there would be no Tokyo Paralympics for Marty, as his event was not on the program.
Last summer, 2022/23, he was again in top form, nailing a best of 15.43m and in June 2023 he was named in his third world championships team.

Marty and Cam Crombie became Australia’s new force in the F38 shot put and he has been encouraged by the visually impaired legend of Australian sport, Russell Short (F12) - “Rusty is an absolute champion of the sport, who has kindly offered guidance and support in recent years.”

Interests: hot-rod building and BBQ meat smoking…Occupation: qualified level 5 Arborist…Goal: “If I can represent para-sport as a good role model for the future athletes, then I feel I have contributed to the betterment of athletics in Australia.”…Other Sports: Alternate Captain of the 2018 Australian IceRoos team which competed at the 2018 World Para Ice Hockey Championships…Coach: is John Eden, a former New Zealand Paralympian.

@ 6 June 23 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au