Django Lovett

Django Lovett (born 6 July 1992) is a Canadian male track and field athlete who competes in the high jump. He was the bronze medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, setting a personal best of 2.30 m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in).[2] Lovett represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Django Lovett
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born (1992-07-06) 6 July 1992
Surrey, British Columbia[1]
Height1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight72 kg (159 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryCanada
SportAthletics
Event(s)High jump
College teamUniversity of New Mexico
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)High jump: 2.33 m (2021)
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's athletics
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place2018 Gold CoastHigh jump
North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Freeport High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Toronto High jump

Life and career

Born in Surrey, British Columbia to Catherine and John Lovett, he initially played soccer before moving into the high jump, following comments by his school soccer coach that he was too slow for the sport. Lovett had success at a young age in high jump, breaking the Canadian youth record and receiving the honour of Canadian Youth Athlete of the Year in 2009. He attended Brookswood Secondary School before heading south of the border to study Arts and communications at the University of New Mexico.[1][3]

He made his international debut at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics, taking a bronze medal. He later competed in qualifying at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics and was fifth at the 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics.[4]

He competed athletically for the New Mexico Lobos team and qualified for the NCAA Championships on several occasions.[3] He represented Canada at the 2013 Summer Universiade, though he did not progress beyond the qualifying round. He was top of the podium at the Canada Summer Games that year.[5]

Lovett's progress plateaued after the age of seventeen: from a best of 2.17 m (7 ft 1+1⁄4 in) in 2009, he had added only six centimetres to that by 2015. Clearances of 2.27 m (7 ft 5+1⁄4 in) in the 2017 outdoor season then 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) in the 2018 indoor season saw him edge towards the elite level of the sport.[4]

In the leadup to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Lovett hit the Olympic qualifying standard in his third and final attempt at 2.33 metres at the Canadian Olympic track and field trials, beating Michael Mason for the Canadian title in the process. He was thus named to the Canadian Olympic team.[6] Competing at the Olympic high jump event, he jumped 2.30 metres to finish in eighth place.[7]

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2009 World Youth Championships Brixen, Italy 3rd High jump 2.17 m
2010 World Junior Championships Moncton, Canada 24th (q) High jump 2.10 m
2012 NACAC U23 Championships Irapuato, Mexico 5th High jump 2.10 m
2013 Universiade Kazan, Russia 15th (q) High jump 2.15 m
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 3rd High jump 2.30 m
NACAC Championships Toronto, Canada 3rd High jump 2.28 m
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 23rd (q) High jump 2.22 m
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 8th High jump 2.30 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 6th High jump 2.27 m
NACAC Championships Freeport, Bahamas =1st High jump 2.25 m
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 27th (q) High jump 2.22 m

National titles

References
  1. Django Lovett. GC2018. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  2. B.C.'s Django Lovett wins bronze in Commonwealth Games high jump. The Canadian Press (2018-04-11). Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  3. Django Lovett. Go Lobos. Retrieved on 2018-04-11.
  4. Django Lovett. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. Django Lovett. CG2013. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. "Django Lovett hits Olympic standard in high jump, denying Mason 6th Canadian title". CBC Sports. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  7. Harrison, Doug (1 August 2021). "Canada's Django Lovett, Marco Arop watch Olympic medal hopes fade late in events". CBC Sports. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
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