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BIOGRAPHYIn his first three appearances in the green and gold, long jumper Darcy Roper finished on the podium. In 2023, after a four-year break from the National team, he returns to the for the World Championships - Budapest 2023. + + + + + In his teens Darcy Roper’s life was a ‘couch surfing’ before his school, Brisbane Boys College, which had boarding facilities, took him in. The year before he had won silver in the long jump at the 2015 World Youth Championships with an extraordinary leap of 8.01m. He and the gold medallist became the first athletes in history to clear the eight metre barrier at the championship. In 2016 he won bronze at the World Juniors and in his last year as a junior (2017) he won the national U20 title. But when his home state hosted the Commonwealth Games he was not at his best and didn’t get out of the qualifying round at the trials in February 2018. But a move to Melbourne rejuvenated a very promising junior career. He linked up with coach John Boas and trained with two other eight metre jumpers – Chris Mitrevski and Henry Smith. It started in November 2018 with a leap of 7.82m – his best for over two years. Then in February he leapt out to 8.20 metres but with a 2.1m/s wind. In March, in Perth, he leapt the extra ordinary distance of 8.32m, but with a 2.6m/s illegal wind, but also in his series of jumps he twice exceeded his four-year-old PB with leaps of 8.11m and 8.13m – now number 10 Australian all-time. He then went on a three-meet series of eight metre jumps: 8.05m (Brisbane March), 8.12m (France June) and 8.05m (Switzerland, July) before winning bronze with 7.90m at the World University Games. Late in the year he competed at the World Championships, jumping 7.82m in the qualifying rounds. Ahead of the pandemic closing down the world in Darcy leapt a new PB 8.20m in January 2020. In 2021 he chased qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, leaping 8.02m in Europe, but would miss the Games. Injured domestically in 2022 he missed selection for the world and Commonwealth Games, however managed a few near 8 metre jumps mid-year in Europe. He jumped well in the key World Athletics points scoring meets in 2023. Second at the Maurie Plant meet, a win at the Brisbane Track Classic and finished third at Nationals in a high quality competition. Selected for the Budapest World Championships he confirmed he was in good form leaping 8.04w (2.3m/s) in Cairns in late July. Occupation: PwC Data Assurance, casual associate…Education: Bachelor of Financial Planning, Accounting and Business/Management at RMIT (2017-2021), Masters Financial Technology at Griffith Uni (2023-current) @ August 2023 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au World Athletics Profile https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/darcy-roper-14550669
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