Jai Gordon

BIO

Just four years ago in 2018, Jai Gordon decided to start athletics training to get fitter for AFL. He is now the fourth fastest Australian junior 100m sprinter ever and spearheads record depth in Australian junior men’s sprinting. Over eight weeks in 2022 he smashed his PB on five occasions, and finished with a National U20 title (10.28) and selection in the Australian team for the World U20 Championships.

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In his youth Jai Gordon was involved a number of sports - AFL, cricket, touch football and soccer. In 2018, he wanted to improve his fitness for AFL and decided to add in some athletics training. At the end of summer 2018/19, he placed third in the National U17 200m with a promising 22.10w time. The next summer 2019/20 aged 16, he ran promising times of 10.79 and 21.94w. 

Jai’s progress in early 2021 was significant, not just in his best time, but consistency and series of marks. He clocked bests of 10.59 and 21.67 and ran five sub-10.70 times. He claimed a silver medal in the U20 100m and was fourth in the 200m. He was selected in the Australian U20 team, which didn’t travel to Kenya due to the pandemic.

Keen for a big 2021/22 summer, early season it did not go as he hoped. 
“My season started a lot later than I planned as I had a quad tear which took me out of training for six weeks and I had to miss a few competitions.”

His first race would be January 29, just two weeks after resuming training.
“I didn't expect much from the race and thought if I ran 10.7 I would be happy, I ran a PB of 10.55s and qualified for World Juniors.”
Over the next eight weeks he sliced a total of 0.31 seconds from his PB, lowering it on five occasions finishing with 10.28 and a ranking as the fourth fastest in Australian junior history. He needed to progress as the event was now at record levels in Australia.
“The U20 100m final at Nationals was crazy with everyone in the field having run qualifiers.”
Later in the week of the Nationals, he competed in the open 100m final, placing a superb fourth.

In June, he missed competitions on the Gold Coast and in Mackay, due to an inflamed right Achilles.

Education: Studying Clinical Exercise Physiology at USQ, Toowoomba…Occupation: a trainer at Willows Health and Lifestyle Centre. Strength, conditioning and track coach at Toowoomba Grammar School and Toowoomba Anglican School…Enjoyment of competing: It makes you constantly re-evaluate yourself and your performances and find ways to improve them. I also like the brotherhood that I have with my competitors and the positive environment (and great performances) it creates… Biggest challenge: ongoing problem from a torn hip flexor at his first national championships in 2018…Biggest Influence: There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, I believe it takes a city to raise an athlete so to single out one person as the most influential person is hard because there are so many that have helped to get me to where I am today. In saying that, my coach Jackie Gallagher is a huge influence as she helps me both on and off the track….Interesting facts: Played the Trombone in school.

@ 1 July 2022 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au