Jacko Gill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jacko Gill

Gill at the 2017 World Championships
Personal information
Full name	Jackson Gill
Born	(1994-12-20) 20 December 1994 (age 30) Auckland, New Zealand
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) (2011)
Weight	118 kg (260 lb) (2012)
Sport
Country	New Zealand
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Shot put
Achievements and titles
National finals	Shot put champion (2023)
Personal best(s)	5 kg: 24.45 m (2011, WYB) 6 kg: 23.00 m (2013, WJR) 7.26 kg: 22.12 m (2023)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  New Zealand Commonwealth Games Silver 2022 Birmingham Shot put Oceania Area Championships Gold 2014 Rarotonga Shot put Gold 2019 Townsville Shot put World Junior Championships Gold 2012 Barcelona Shot put Gold 2010 Moncton Shot put Summer Youth Olympics Silver 2010 Singapore Shot put World Youth Championships Gold 2011 Lille Shot put Oceania Youth Championships Gold 2010 Sydney Shot put Gold 2010 Sydney Discus throw

Jackson "Jacko" Gill (born 20 December 1994) is a talented athlete from New Zealand. He is famous for competing in the shot put, which is a sport where athletes throw a heavy metal ball as far as they can. Jacko throws with his right hand and uses a special "spin technique" to get more power.

Jacko became well-known very early in his career. In 2010, when he was just 15 years old, he won a gold medal in shot put at the World Junior Championships. This made him the youngest male gold medalist ever at that event! He even beat the record set by the famous sprinter Usain Bolt. Two years later, in 2012, he won the title again at the 2012 World Junior Championships.

Jacko Gill's Early Career Highlights

Jacko Gill first showed his amazing talent in 2009. He set world records for his age group using lighter shot puts. He threw the 5 kg shot 20.42 meters and the 6 kg shot 17.41 meters.

Becoming a Junior Champion

In 2010, Jacko competed at the World Junior Championships. Even though he was only 15, he won the gold medal in the 6 kg shot put. He threw it 20.76 meters, beating older athletes who were 18 and 19 years old. This made him the youngest male junior champion in history.

Setting New Youth Records

Before the World Junior Championships in 2010, Jacko threw the 5 kg shot 22.53 meters in Sweden. This was better than any known performance for 15 and 16-year-olds. He then improved to 22.60 meters, earning a silver medal at the first-ever Youth Olympic Games. In December 2010, he set a new world record for youth (under-18) with a throw of 23.86 meters using the 5 kg shot.

Breaking National Records

In March 2011, Jacko threw the 6 kg shot 21.34 meters. This placed him among the top junior shot putters of all time. A month later, in April 2011, at just 16 years old, he threw the senior shot (7.26 kg) 20.01 meters. This throw broke a 44-year-old New Zealand national record!

Jacko's amazing throw even met the standard for the 2011 Athletics World Championships. However, rules prevented athletes his age from competing in throwing events. He later qualified for the 2012 Olympics by throwing 20.38 meters in December 2011. He also threw the 6 kg shot 22.31 meters, becoming the second-furthest junior thrower ever with that weight. Jacko was known as one of the youngest and lightest athletes to throw over 20 meters.

World Youth and Junior Best Performances

In July 2011, at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics in France, Jacko won another gold medal. He threw the 5 kg shot an incredible 24.35 meters, setting a new World Youth Best Performance. He improved this even further in December that year with a throw of 24.45 meters.

In 2013, Jacko continued to break records. He set a new Oceania Junior Record with a throw of 22.32 meters. He then improved this to 22.54 meters and finally to 23.00 meters, which broke the World Junior Record! In 2014, he won the shot put title at the Oceania Athletics Championships with a personal best of 20.70 meters.

Jacko Gill's Personal Life

Jacko comes from a family of athletes. His father, Walter, was a discus thrower and a national shot put champion. His mother, Nerida, was also a discus thrower. Jacko went to Takapuna Grammar School until 2010.

Jacko has always been very interested in shot put. He started writing his own training plans when he was about 10 years old. He prefers to train in his garage at home because he enjoys weightlifting, especially power-lifting. He spends about four hours a day lifting weights and throws the shot put a couple of times a week. Jacko has said that his athletic hero is Ricky Bruch, a former discus world record holder from Sweden.

Coaching and Training

Jacko was coached by Didier Poppé during his World Youth and World Junior Championships wins. Later, he trained with former New Zealand shot put champion Courtney Ireland and then with Kirsten Hellier.

Jacko Gill's Achievements

Jacko Gill has won many medals and achieved great results throughout his career. Here are some of his top performances:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  New Zealand
2010	Oceania Youth Championships	Sydney, Australia	1st	Shot put (5 kg)	20.62 m
			1st	Discus throw (1.5 kg)	56.64 m
	World Junior Championships	Moncton, Canada	1st	Shot put (6 kg)	20.76 m
	Youth Olympic Games	Singapore	2nd	Shot put (5 kg)	22.60 m
2011	World Youth Championships	Lille, France	1st	Shot put (5 kg)	24.35 m
2012	World Junior Championships	Barcelona, Spain	1st	Shot put (6 kg)	22.20 m
2014	Oceania Championships	Avarua, Cook Islands	1st	Shot put	20.70 m
	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	11th	Shot put	18.05 m
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	8th	Shot put	20.11 m
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	9th	Shot put	19.93 m
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	9th	Shot put	20.50 m
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	9th	Shot put	20.82 m
2019	Oceania Championships	Townsville, Australia	1st	Shot put	20.75 m
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	7th	Shot put	21.45 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	9th	Shot put	20.71 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	7th	Shot put	21.40 m
	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, United Kingdom	2nd	Shot put	21.90 m
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	6th	Shot put	21.76 m
2024	World Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	5th	Shot put	21.69 m
	2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	7th	Shot put	21.15 m

See also

In Spanish: Jacko Gill para niños