Joshua Ross

Joshua won his first Australian title aged 10 - in the long jump. He returned to the sport aged 19 and was primarily a talented sprinter living on the Central Coast. Ross won the 2003 Stawell Gift comfortably off 7 metres.
In December 2003 he won the Latrobe Gift and a week later the Burnie Gift off scratch. His progress had been remarkable and he was fast tracked into the Telstra A-series meet in Perth, where after a shaky heat run, he ran a brilliant 3rd in the final clocking a legal 10.37 and finishing just 0.04 seconds behind Matt Shirvington. The time moved him to No 23 on the Australian all-time list and within reach of the Olympic B-standard.
His great start continued in 2004, running 10.37 in Canberra, then 10.27 to win the Telstra Olympic Trials. In June he also helped the Australian 4x100m relay team to a sensational time of 38.66 .
In Athens, he ran well in the 100m equalling his best in the heat (10.24) and then clocking a PB in the quarter-final (10.22), placing 5th. Josh ran anchor on the 4x100m relay team that clocked two great times in the heat and final (38.49, 38.56) placing sixth. After less than a year of running in the senior ranks, Joshua moved to No 6 on the Australian all-time list. He started the 2005 domestic season in sensational form clocking 10.12 in Perth, moving him to No 3 in Australian history. In March, Joshua defended his national 100m title.
At Easter time, he won the Stawell Gift from scratch, becoming only the second ever athlete to achieve such a feat (first Australian) and only the third to win a second title. These achievements rate him as the greatest Stawell Gift athlete ever. Ross ran very well at the 2005 World Championships progressing to the semi-finals in the 100m. He ran the 2nd leg of the 4x100m relay, which placed a brilliant 5th.
Joshua won the NSW 100m title in January but was pushed back to 6th in the Canberra A series. However he came through the field at the Nationals to win in 10.35. He just missed making the Commonwealth final in the 100m after finishing 5th in his semi. He ran the heats of the sprint relay but was forced to miss the final due to injury.
Joshua is now a four time National Champion winning the 2007 National title in a personal best time of 10.08.
Joshua is a relay team mate of Nova’s husband, Daniel Batman and has been involved along with Nova Peris as an advocate for Indigenous Health.

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