Jaryd Clifford

Jaryd Clifford (born 5 July 1999)[1] is an Australian Paralympic, vision impaired, middle-distance athlete. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics.[2] He won gold medals in the Men's 1500m and 5000m T13 events at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. Clifford represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo,[3] where he won silver medals in the Men's 5000m T13 and Men's Marathon T12, and a bronze medal in the Men's 1500 m T13.[4]

Jaryd Clifford
Jaryd Clifford in 2019
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1999-07-05) 5 July 1999
Sport
ClubDiamond Valley Athletic Club
Medal record
Athletics
Summer Paralympics
Silver medal – second place2020 Tokyo5000 m T13
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoMarathon T12
Bronze medal – third place2020 Tokyo1500 m T13
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Dubai1500 m T13
Gold medal – first place2019 Dubai5000 m T13
Silver medal – second place2023 Paris5000 m T13
Bronze medal – third place2017 London1500 m T13
Michael Roeger and Jaryd Clifford with their arms around each other's shoulders
Australian athletes Michael Roeger (left) and Jaryd Clifford after the medal presentations for the marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Roeger finished 6th in the T46 class and Clifford finished second in the T12 class.
Australian vision impaired athletes Sam Harding (left) and Jaryd Clifford after their 1500m race at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Personal

Clifford was born on 5 July 1999.[1] During primary school his eyesight deteriorated due to juvenile macular degeneration.[5]

Athletics

Clifford is classified as a T12 athlete. In 2014, Clifford came 4th in the 3000m at the Australian All Schools Championships. He competed at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha and came 7th in the T12/13 3000m. In January 2016, his time of 3min 59.6s in the 1500m qualified him for the 2016 Rio Paralympics and he took 10 seconds off the Australian record for T12 athletes. The record had lasted for more than 30 years.[6]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he finished seventh in both the Men's 1500m T13 and Men's 5000m T13 events.[7]

At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England, Clifford won the bronze medal in the Men's 1500m T13 in a time of 3:53.31. Clifford credited his altitude training and European racing with assisting him in winning a medal.[8]

At the Sydney Grand Prix on 18 March 2018, Clifford broke the Men's 1500m T12 world record with a time of 3:45.18. He lowered the previous world record of 3:48.31 set by Tunisia's Abderrahim Zhiou at the 2012 London Paralympics.[9]

At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, Clifford set a world record time of 3:47.78 in winning the gold medal in the Men's 1500m T13.[10] Clifford with his two guides Tim Logan and Philo Saunders won the Men's 5000m T13. Clifford stated he needs guides for the 5000m due to his deteriorating eyesight making the event dangerous for him.[11]

In 2018, Clifford is a member of the Diamond Valley Athletic Club and Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.[12] In 2020, Jaryd made a permanent move to Canberra.

In his first marathon on 25 April 2021, Clifford ran 2:19:08 to break the existing world record of 2:21:33.[13]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo,[14] he won silver medals in the Men's 5000m T13 and Men's Marathon T12, and a bronze medal in the Men's 1500 m T13.[15]

Despite a stress fracture in his left femur, Clifford won the silver medal in the Men's 5000m T13 at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.[16]

His philosophy is "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced".[12]

Marathon progression
Distance Time /
Distance		 Location Date
Marathon2:19:08 WRSydney25 April 2021
Marathon2:26:09Tokyo5 September 2021

Recognition
  • 2017 – Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards – Marg Angel Junior Sportsperson of the Year [17]
  • 2018 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and mentored by Lauren Burns[18]
  • 2022 - Athletics Australia Russell Short Award for Male Para Athlete of the Year [19]

References
  1. "Jarryd Clifford". Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  2. "Australian Paralympic Athletics Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  3. "Para-athletics Stars Perris and Turner Secure Their Paralympic Passage to Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. "Athletics - Final Results". olympics.com. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  5. "Jarryd Cliiford". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  6. Balchin, Max (19 January 2016). "Jaryd Clifford's national record heads the Diamond Valley qualification efforts". Diamond Valley Leader. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. "Jarryd Clifford". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  8. Ryner, Sascha. "Holt storms home in world record time". Athletics Australia News, 20 July 2017. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  9. Aubrey, Jane. "World Records for Clifford, Roeger, as Day posts a 100m PB in Sydney". Athletics Australia website. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  10. "Results – Men's 1500m T13 Final". 2019 World Para Athletics World Championships. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  11. "World Para Athletics Championships Dubai – Day 8 Recap". Athletics Australia. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  12. "Jarryd Clifford". Victorian Institute of Sport website. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  13. "Australians Michael Roeger, Jaryd Clifford break marathon world records ahead of Tokyo Paralympics". ABC News. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  14. "Para-athletics Stars Perris and Turner Secure Their Paralympic Passage to Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  15. "Athletics - Final Results". olympics.com. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  16. "Clifford Finds Silver Lining | Day Two World Para Athletics Championships". Athletics Australia. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  17. "Winners announced for Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards". Disability Sport & Recreation Victoria. 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  18. "Sport Australia Hall of Fame to 'embrace the future' with scholarship program". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  19. "Tokyo Stars Celebrated At 2022 Athletics Australia Awards". Athletics Australia. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
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