{{Short description|Australian athlete (born 1996)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Jacob Despard | image = | caption = | nationality = Australian | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|11|20|df=yes}} | birth_place = Hobart, Tasmania | death_date = | death_place = | height = 1.83 m | weight = | sport = Track and Field | event = Sprinting | pb = }}
'''Jacob Despard''' (born 20 November 1996) is an Australian sprinter. He competed at the 2024 Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/jacob-despard-14511251 |title=Jacob Despard |website=World Athletics |accessdate=25 January 2025}}</ref>
==Early life== From Tasmania, he was a keen cricketer in his youth and specialised as a fast bowler, before focusing on athletics.<ref name="tas">{{cite web |url=https://www.athletics.com.au/2024-paris-olympics-athlete-profiles/jacobdespard#:~:text=BIOGRAPHY,improve%20his%20run-up%20speed. |accessdate=25 January 2025 |title=Jacob Despard |website=Athletics.com.au|date=18 January 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=8 July 2024 |title=Two more Tasmanians confirmed for Paris Olympics |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/sport/jacob-despard-prepares-to-battle-for-a-place-on-australian-relay-team/news-story/305638bbcc4ae23f5af1ba24f36115cb |website=The Mercury |accessdate=25 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=What it means for these Tassie athletes to reach sport's pinnacle |date=21 September 2024 |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/tasmanian-olympians-and-paralympians-return-home-to-heroes-welcome/news-story/491014ab0ead150cbb7b7e32178f24f0 |website=The Mercury |accessdate=25 January 2025}}</ref>
==Career== He made his junior international debut at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.themercury.com.au/sport/local-sport/tassie-sprinters-jacob-despard-samantha-lind-and-jesse-usoalii-to-compete-in-iaaf-event-in-oregon/news-story/39eaea979da544665e0372873237dcd7 |website=The Mercury |title=Tassie sprinters Jacob Despard, Samantha Lind and Jesse Usoalii to compete in IAAF event in Oregon |first=Simeon |last=Thomas-Wilson |date=March 25, 2014 |accessdate=25 January 2025}}</ref> He relocated from Tasmania to Melbourne and shortly afterwards won the Stawell Gift race in 2018.<ref name="gift">{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-02/tasmanian-jacob-despard-wins-the-stawell-gift-final/9610664 |website=abc.net |accessdate=25 January 2025 |title=Stawell Gift: A case of sixth-time lucky for Victorian-based Tasmanian Jacob Despard |date=2 April 2018 |first=Bridget |last=Rollason}}</ref> He made his senior Australian debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.<ref name="tas"/>
He ran as part of the Australian 4x100m relay team which qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8618976/tasmanian-sprinters-look-to-paris-after-olympic-qualification/ |title=Tasmanians eye Paris after Olympic qualification in The Bahamas |first=Rob |last=Shaw |date=May 6, 2024 |website=Examiner.com |accessdate=25 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=Watch Athletics |url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5397/men-4x100m-results-world-athletics-relays-championships-2024 |accessdate=25 January 2025 |title=Men 4x100m Results - World Athletics Relays Championships 2024 |date=5 May 2024}}</ref> He was a member of Australia's 4x100-metre men's relay team at the 2024 Olympic Games that ran a time of 38.12 seconds to set a new national record.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nit.com.au/09-08-2024/12995/paris-2024-hamstrung-law-goes-out-in-a-puff-at-paris-olympics |website=nit.com |accessdate=25 January 2025 |title=Hamstrung Law goes out in a puff at Paris Olympics |first=Andrew |last=Mathieson |date=August 9, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Resilient Despard reflects on bittersweet Olympic debut |first=Ben |last=Hann |date=September 23, 2024 |url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8771359/tasmanian-sprinter-jacob-despard-reflects-on-paris-olympic-debut/ |website=Examiner.com.au |accessdate=25 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-26/tasmanians-competing-at-the-paris-olympics/104141600 |website=abc.net |accessdate=25 January 2025 |title=You might be familiar with Ariarne Titmus and Eddie Ockenden, but what about the other Tasmanians competing at the Paris Olympics? |first=Chris |last=Rowbottom |date=25 Jul 2024}}</ref>
He finished third behind Lachlan Kennedy and Josh Azzopardi over 60 metres at the Australian short track national championships in Sydney on 1 February 2025.<ref>{{cite web |website=Athletics.com.au |url=https://www.athletics.com.au/news/connolly-and-kennedy-dominate-inaugural-australian-short-track-championships/ |date=1 February 2025 |title=CONNOLLY AND KENNEDY DOMINATE INAUGURAL AUSTRALIAN SHORT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS |accessdate=12 February 2025}}</ref> In September 2025, he competed in the men's 4 x 100 metres at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7190593?eventId=204593&gender=M |website=World Athletics|accessdate=29 September 2025|title= World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025|date=18 Sep 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.athletics.com.au/news/green-and-gold-to-shine-in-tokyo-with-largest-athletics-team-yet/ |title= GREEN AND GOLD TO SHINE IN TOKYO WITH LARGEST ATHLETICS TEAM YET |website=Athletics.com.au|accessdate=3 September 2025|date=3 September 2025}}</ref>
On 11 April 2026, he was a finalist over 100 metres at the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7232772?eventId=10229630&gender=M |title=Australian Championships|date=10 April 2026 |access-date=11 April 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref> He was selected for the Australian team to compete at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.athletics.com.au/news/kennedy-and-lewis-headline-australian-squads-for-world-athletics-relays/|website=Athletics.com.au|accessdate=1 April 2026|title= KENNEDY AND LEWIS HEADLINE AUSTRALIAN SQUADS FOR WORLD ATHLETICS RELAYS}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{World Athletics|australia/jacob-despard-14511251}} * [https://www.athletics.com.au/athlete/jacob-despard/ Jacob Despard] at Australian Athletics * [https://athletics.possumbility.com/athletes/athlete6788.htm Jacob Despard] at Australian Athletics Historical Results * {{Australian Olympic Committee|jacob-despard}} * {{Commonwealth Games Australia|jacob-despard}} * {{Olympics.com|jacob-despard}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20240730150643/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/jacob-despard_1939785 Jacob Despard] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived) * {{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|53406}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Despard, Jacob}} Category:1996 births Category:Living people Category:Australian men sprinters Category:Olympic athletes for Australia Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Australia Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Category:Sportspeople from Hobart Category:Sportsmen from Tasmania Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Australia