Jacko Gill
Gill at the 2017 World Championships
Personal information
Full nameJackson Gill
Born (1994-12-20) 20 December 1994
Auckland, New Zealand
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) (2011)
Weight118 kg (260 lb) (2012)
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportAthletics
EventShot put
Achievements and titles
National finalsShot put champion (2023)
Personal bests5 kg: 24.45 m (2011, WYB)
6 kg: 23.00 m (2013, WJR)[1]
7.26 kg: 22.12 m (2023)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  New Zealand
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place2022 BirminghamShot put
Oceania Area Championships
Gold medal – first place2014 RarotongaShot put
Gold medal – first place2019 TownsvilleShot put
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place2012 BarcelonaShot put
Gold medal – first place2010 MonctonShot put
Summer Youth Olympics
Silver medal – second place2010 SingaporeShot put
World Youth Championships
Gold medal – first place2011 LilleShot put
Oceania Youth Championships
Gold medal – first place2010 Sydney Shot put
Gold medal – first place2010 Sydney Discus throw

Jackson Gill (born 20 December 1994) is a New Zealand track and field athlete who competes in the shot put. Gill throws with his right hand, using the spin technique. In 2010, he won gold in the shot put at the World Junior Championships at the age of 15 years, 213 days, which made him the youngest ever male gold medalist at the World Junior Championships (surpassing Usain Bolt who was 15 years, 332 days old when he won the 200 metres in 2002). In 2012, he defended his title at the 2012 World Junior Championships.

Career

Gill first came to prominence in late 2009 when he set world age-14 bests with the 5 kg Shot (20.42m) and 6 kg Shot (17.41m).[2] At the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, as a 15-year-old, Gill won the gold in the shot put (6 kg) with a distance of 20.76m,[3] beating 18- and 19-year-olds and becoming the youngest-ever male junior champion.[4]

In 2010, prior to the World Junior Championships, Gill threw the 5 kg shot 22.53m at an event in Stockholm, Sweden, exceeding the best-known performances with that weight for 15- and 16-year-olds. He improved to 22.60m in finishing second at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games despite being unwell. On 11 December 2010, at the New Zealand National Secondary Schools Championships, Gill set a youth (under-18) world-best performance of 23.86m (5 kg).[5]

On 26 March 2011, at the New Zealand National Championships, Gill achieved 21.34m[6] with the 6 kg shot, at the time ranking him 4th on the all-time IAAF junior list for shot put.[7]

On 23 April 2011, at 16 years of age, Gill threw 20.01m with the senior shot (7.26 kg). Gill's throw broke the 44-year-old New Zealand national record set by Les Mills in 1967.[8] This performance surpassed the standard for the 2011 Athletics World Championships, however the rules for that competition exclude anyone of Jacko's age competing in any throwing events. An appeal to the IAAF for an exception to be made to this regulation to allow Gill to compete was rejected.[9] The performance also surpassed the B standard for the 2012 Olympics[10] however not only was it outside the qualifying period (which started on 1 May) it was also less than the qualification standard (20.30m) subsequently set by Athletics New Zealand.[11] However, he did go on to qualify for the 2012 Olympics on 5 December 2011 by throwing 20.38m.[12] On the same occasion he threw 22.31 with the 6 kg shot[13] to become the second furthest junior (under-20) thrower ever with that weight. Gill has been reported as the youngest and one of the lightest athletes[8] to throw over 20m.

On 7 July 2011 at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Lille Métropole, France, Gill won the gold medal by 4m with a World Youth Best Performance of 24.35m,[14] which he subsequently improved later that year with a throw of 24.45m in Auckland on 12 December.[15]

In 2013 Gill broke the Oceania Junior Record with 22.32m at Brisbane, Australia on 20 July[16] and then with 22.54m at the North Shore, Auckland on 4 August.[17] On 18 August, also at the North Shore in Auckland, he threw 23.00 to break the World Junior Record.[1][18]

On 25 June 2014 in Rarotonga, Gill improved his personal best to 20.70m in winning the shot put title at the 2014 Oceania Area Championships in Athletics.[19]

Personal life

Gill's father, Walter, is a former discus thrower and national shot-put champion, and his mother, Nerida, is a former discus thrower.[20] He attended Takapuna Grammar School until 2010. Jacko was the subject of a "feature" interview for the IAAF's March 2013 monthly on-line newsletter, in which he said he had a keen interest in the shot from an early age: "Since about 10 years old I've decided to write all of my lifting programs and schedules for my training. I didn't really fit in well at gyms, so I decided to do all weights in our garage at home. I enjoy weight-lifting, power-lifting mainly, so will lift for around four hours a day, and throw only a couple of times per week. " He also said that his athletic "hero" is Ricky Bruch, a former Discus World record-holder from Sweden.[2]

Coaching

Gill was coached by Didier Poppé during the years of his World Youth and World Junior Championships campaigns. In late 2012 he began training under the direction of former New Zealand shot champion Courtney Ireland[2] and was later coached by Kirsten Hellier.

Achievements

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  New Zealand
2010 Oceania Youth Championships Sydney, Australia 1st Shot put (5 kg) 20.62 m
1st Discus throw (1.5 kg) 56.64 m
World Junior Championships Moncton, Canada 1st Shot put (6 kg) 20.76 m
Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2nd Shot put (5 kg) 22.60 m
2011 World Youth Championships Lille, France 1st Shot put (5 kg) 24.35 m
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 1st Shot put (6 kg) 22.20 m
2014 Oceania Championships Avarua, Cook Islands 1st Shot put 20.70 m
Commonwealth Games Glasgow, United Kingdom 11th Shot put 18.05 m
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 8th Shot put 20.11 m
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, United States 9th Shot put 19.93 m
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 9th Shot put 20.50 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 9th Shot put 20.82 m
2019 Oceania Championships Townsville, Australia 1st Shot put 20.75 m
World Championships Doha, Qatar 7th Shot put 21.45 m
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 9th Shot put 20.71 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 7th Shot put 21.40 m
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd Shot put 21.90 m
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 6th Shot put 21.76 m

References

  1. 1 2 IAAF: World Record Ratified
  2. 1 2 3 "In Final Year As A Junior, Gill Already Has Sights On Senior Success". IAAF.org. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics: Men's shot put (final)". IAAF. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Kiwi wins gold at world junior athletics championships". Fairfax New Zealand Limited. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  5. ↑ IAAF Youth All-time Shot Put list
  6. ↑ McMurran, Alistair (28 March 2011). "Athletics: Gill adds to shot put world record collection". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  7. ↑ IAAF Junior All-time Shot Put list
  8. 1 2 "Athletics: Jacko's massive throw an absolute thriller". nzherald. 24 April 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  9. ↑ Woodcock, Fred (8 July 2011). "Jacko Gill sets sight on London Olympics medal". Stuff. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  10. ↑ IAAF: QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXX OLYMPIAD Archived 7 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ 2012 Olympic Games – London: Selection Criteria
  12. ↑ "Athletics: Gill grabs Olympics qualifier". nzherald. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  13. ↑ "Teen sets record, attains Olympic standard". stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  14. ↑ IAAF World Youth Championships: Boys Shot Put Final – Gill beyond 24m, three times!
  15. ↑ "Athletics: NZ shot putter Jacko Gill breaks world record". nzherald. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  16. ↑ IAAF Outdoor Junior list 2013: Shot put
  17. ↑ Athletics New Zealand: Cross Country Champs, Jacko Extends 6kg Shot Record & Weekly Roundup Archived 5 August 2013 at archive.today
  18. ↑ Stuff.co.nz Gill breaks world junior shot put record
  19. ↑ "Gill produces a career-best throw in Rarotonga". stuff.co.nz. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Jacko Gill: Circle this name". Stuff.co.nz. 20 December 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
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