TALLENT Jared < Back  
Sport Athletics
CGA Australia   
Gender Men
Born 17 Oct 1984 in Ballarat, AUS
Height1.78 m
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Adelaide, SA, AUS
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Team Tempo: Adelaide, SA, AUS
Further Personal Information
Higher education Physical Education - University of Canberra: Australia
General Interest
Injuries In late 2015 and early 2016 he was troubled by hamstring injuries. (IAAF, 08 May 2016)

In July 2009 he suffered a shin injury that hampered his training ahead of the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. (IAAF, 12 Oct 2015)

In 2004 he suffered a femoral [leg] stress reaction. (Athletics Australia, 21 Aug 2007)
Other sports He has competed in triathlon at national level in Australia. (Athletics Australia, 21 Aug 2007)
Famous relatives His wife Claire competed in athletics [20km walk] at the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. His younger sister Rachel represented Australia in race walking at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (athletics.com.au, 08 Sep 2019; SportsDeskOnline, 23 Nov 2018; abc.net.au, 06 May 2016
Most influential person in career His parents. (AIS, 06 Sep 2007)
Hero / Idol Australian motor racing driver Mark Webber. (AIS, 06 Sep 2007)
Ambitions To win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (tokyo2020.org, 03 Apr 2020)
Awards and honours He was named the 2013 Male Athlete of the Year by Athletics Australia. (thecourier.com.au, 16 Nov 2013)

In 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 he was named Sportsperson of the Year in Ballarat, VIC, Australia. He shared the 2012 award with wheelchair rugby player Greg Smith. (thecourier.com.au, 12 Feb 2014; thecourier.com.au, 02 Feb 2011)

He was named the 2008 20km Race Walker of the Year by the International Association of Athletics Federations [IAAF]. (heraldsun.com.au, 23 Sep 2008)

He has been presented with the Order of Australia Medal [OAM]. (Facebook page, 04 Feb 2020)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach Adam Didyk [club], AUS
When and where did you begin this sport? He took up the sport through Little Athletics in Australia.
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete
General Interest
Nicknames JT (rio2016.olympics.com.au, May 2016)
Other information ONE MORE YEAR
He was planning to quit the sport after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo but he postponed his retirement after the Games were rescheduled for 2021. "Basically, because I've been going on for these four years now, there's no way I can retire now with it being delayed for one more year. I was leading in Rio [2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro] with only two kilometres to go and unfortunately got overtaken on the last lap." (tokyo2020.org, 03 Apr 2020)

BELATED GOLD
In March 2016 the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] upheld an International Association of Athletics Federations [IAAF] appeal to annul the results of six Russian athletes who had been banned for doping, ruling the Russian Anti-Doping Agency [RUSADA] had been selective in their disqualification periods. This included Sergey Kirdyapkin, who was stripped of his gold medal in the 50km walk at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Tallent had claimed the silver medal in the race, so was upgraded to gold. He later organised a mock medal-giving ceremony for himself in his garden, which he recorded a video of for his fans. "I have believed I was the winner ever since I finished the race, that I was the real winner on the day. This outcome allows me to celebrate a moment that every athlete dreams of." (guardian.com, 26 May; abc.net.au, 07 May 2016; bbc.com, 24 Mar 2016)

CHILDHOOD ACCIDENT
At age two he lost the index finger of his right hand after an accident with a potato grading machine. (rio2016.olympics.com.au, May 2016; jaredtallent.com, Aug 2012)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He studied financial planning at RMIT University in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. (rio2016.olympics.com.au, May 2016)
Further Personal Information
Family Wife Claire, son Harvey [2017]
Languages English
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto "Never worry about what you have or have not done in the past. It is all about what you can do from that moment forwards." (IAAF, 12 Oct 2015)
Milestones In 2016 he became the first male representing Australia to claim four medals in athletics at the Olympic Games when he claimed silver in the 50km walk in Rio de Janeiro. He had previously won gold [2012] and silver [2008] in the same event and bronze in the 20km walk in 2008. (SportsDeskOnline, 19 Aug 2016)