Thrilling long jump prospect Joshua Cowley becomes only fourth under 20 Aussie to long jump 8m

Thrilling long jump prospect Joshua Cowley has become only the fourth Australian aged under 20 to reach 8m or beyond after a personal best effort in Canberra this month.

Thrilling long jump prospect Joshua Cowley has become only the fourth Australian aged under 20 to reach 8m or beyond after a personal best effort in Canberra this month.

Such is his potential, the 18-year-old remains an outside chance of Tokyo Olympic Games selection, although his more likely path this year is representing Australia at the world athletic junior championships in Kenya.

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“He is now ranked No. 1 (under 20 in the world) over the Cuban who beat him at the Youth Olympics,’’ said his coach Stacey Taurima, from the Nathan-based Rogue Athletic Academy.

“Lets just focus on Kenya (world juniors), lets win it and that his only goal.’’

Joshua Cowley at the long jump pit while at Brisbane State High School.

Next month Cowley will compete as an open athlete at the Queensland titles, and then revert back to the under 20 competition for the national titles in order to book his spot on the plane for the world juniors.

To give you an idea of his improvement, last year he jumped 7.83m at the Queensland International Track Classic, which was 1cm further than his Youth Olympic record effort of 7.82m achieved in 2018.

Cowley as an Algester Little Athlete.

“You see athletes come and go all of the time,’’ Taurima said.

“But he is so far beyond that early development because an 8m jump is world class, no matter how old you are.’’

Cowley, an Algester Little Athletics Centre junior, “has a good future’’. “As long as we are patient with him,’’ said Taurima.

Cowley’s stable mate at Rogue Athletic Academy is Wishart’s Aliyah Parker (nee Johnson) who this month won the women’s open triple jump at the Melbourne Track Classic.