Hope allows Azzopardi to reach for his Olympic dream

If there’s anything New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete Josh Azzopardi can take from Canadian Andre de Grasse, the sprinter he admires most in the world, it’s one of the words that are tattooed on the Olympic champion’s left forearm.

‘Hope.’

Azzopardi, who returned from the hamstring injury that forced him out of the nationals by finishing in third place (10.33 seconds) in the final of a meet in Germany overnight, described de Grasse’s story as one of  . . .  resilience . . . self-belief . . . sacrifice . . . hope.

“Andre de Grasse is my favourite athlete,” said Azzopardi, who won the NSW 100m title last March. “Obviously, I love Usain Bolt . . .  you can’t be in track and field and not love Usain . . .  but I really enjoy watching de Grasse run.

“He’s not that typical sprinter who is massive and huge. He has a slim, lean body type and I can relate to that. He showed his determination by coming second and third at the world’s majors for five to 10 years, but he finally broke through and won at the Olympics in 2021.

“I have this image in my head of lining up against him and chatting after the race. I have no idea of what I’d say . . . probably ‘I’m a big fan’ and ‘I’ve been watching you for a few years and you’ve inspired me’ but it’d be cool.

Azzopardi said he shares de Grasse’s belief in the strength that comes from hope.

“It’s been good to watch his journey and see he’s never given up. He sends out a strong message for all runners with his ‘hope’ tattoo because you need to have hope in everything you do.

“Without belief you’d find it very hard to reach your goals. You need to take small steps to reach the massive goals. And while you might get beat down along the way, you need to stand up and keep going.

“Patience is also important. I struggle to be patient, but it’s one of those things where everything will click at the one time. I tell myself ‘put the work in and you’ll get the result’ . . . ‘don’t rush things because when you rush things, they can go bad’. I’ve also learnt it’s important to enjoy yourself as well, you have to enjoy the journey – the good results and the bad results. It’s the bad results make the good ones even sweeter.”

And that spirit is fueling Azzopardi – ranked 148^th in the world – as he plots his course to qualify for next year’s Paris Olympics. In search of the qualifying time, and he’ll need to shave off 0.25 of a second to do it, he’s racing in Europe before competing in next month’s World University Games in China.

“On a scale of one to 10 my belief is high, and that’s why I believe I can do it,” he said with such a fierce commitment it’d surely compel de Grasse to nod approvingly.

“That’s what’s driving me, I know I’m so close. Going to the Commonwealth Games last year was a huge help, it allowed me to tick off a goal on my list and it gave me that belief.”

Had Azzopardi, who played Aussie Rules and then rugby league for the Camden Rams (the junior club that  produced NSW State of Origin skipper James Tedesco) accepted an offer from Rugby Australia in 2018, he might be heading to Paris 2024 as a member of the nation’s Sevens team.

The speedster recalled how he was courted by rugby officialdom – who was seemingly looking to athletics as a supply pool after signing former 100m national champion, Trae ‘Quadzilla’ Williams – after he represented the Australian under-18 Oz Tag team that won the world cup.

“At the World Cup they had a race to see who the fastest man in OzTag was,” he said. “I put my hand up, had a run, and got the win. After that I had a few chats with Australian Rugby, and they threw words around like ‘travel’ and the ‘Olympics.’ I realized it was an avenue that could have opened a future, so I came quite close to joining rugby.

“However, I felt as though there was unfinished business in track and field. There was something about going to the Olympics to compete on the track; to be the fastest man in the world that caught my attention. So, I stuck to it to see how far I could go.”

And that’s why Azzopardi, who started running as a speedy six year old with Camden Little Athletics, is in Europe after a domestic season that was frustrated by injury.

“I want to post some good times,” he said. “The goal is to post a decent time and get myself into some form ahead of going into the World Uni Games. I’m also hopeful of getting to the World Championships.

“The Australian [relay] team is sitting in 15^th out of 16 places at the moment, and hopefully we can squeeze through and get to the world champs.”

In a sport where mere millimetres can either make or break a career, Azzopardi said he planned  to launch an assault on his personal best of 10.25 seconds.

“It’s something I’ll challenge over there,” he said. “The conditions in Europe are usually good, and they hold meets on some good quick tracks. It’s always your goal to run your best time at all meets, and while that’s obviously not going to always happen, I want to knock [my PB] down by a few milliseconds.”

And, if family support lifts an athlete, the 24-year-old should grow wings in Malta, the sun-drenched Mediterranean birthplace of his great-grandfather: “I should have some family over there watching, which will be nice. I’ve never raced in Malta before, and I’ll want to put on a show. I’m keen to go there and run well.”

Azzopardi said his selection in the 39-strong Uniroos Athletics team that will compete in the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, was an important component of his plan to compete at next year’s Paris Olympics.

“I’ve been chasing World Uni for a couple of years now,” he said. “It was postponed over the last two years [because of COVID-19] and it is a competition I really want to compete at.

“The goal is to medal in China, and I believe I can do that based on [results posted in] previous years. That would help set me up for next year because the qualifications [for Olympic selection] open on July 1, so the Uni Games are being held in that window.

“It’s quite a high-level meet, so, if I can go there and run well, it’s a good foot in the door for world rankings.”

While Azzopardi described last year’s Commonwealth Games as one of the greatest experiences of his life, he said it had also stoked the fire in his belly to compete in Paris.

“When I think of Paris, I see myself lining up on the starting line for the 100m,” he said. “Its everyone’s goal, and we have maybe 20-odd people chasing the three spots available. So, percentage wise it’s very small, but that’s the beauty of it – the reward and the challenge.

“In athletics you run for a time, you run to beat your competitors – and that’s the beauty of the sport; you have to be perfect, and you need to be refined in every area. You need to be 100 percent or else you’ll get found out. That’s what makes you put in the effort . . . the idea effort should get results.

“For me, being handed the Olympic singlet or race suit and being called ‘Olympian’ would be a dream come true.”

Azzopardi credited his prized NSWIS scholarship for putting him in the position where he has the hope he’s within touching distance of fulfilling his lofty dreams.

“It’s been huge,” he said. “I have a great team around me – physios, massage, strength and conditioning – I’m in the gym at NSWIS twice a week and I love training there. [The Institute] has facilities that are specific for a track and field athlete and that helps make me feel professional.

“NSWIS has played a major role in my going forward – I have the biomechanics team going through even the smallest detail. It’s been a big stepping stone for me.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS