Jaryd Clifford


Jaryd Clifford is an Australian Paralympic vision impaired middle distance athlete. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics. He won gold medals in the Men's 1500 m and 5000 m T13 events at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships.

Personal

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

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.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he finished seventh in both the Men's 1500 m T13 and Men's 5000 m T13 events.
At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England, Clifford won the bronze medal in the Men's 1500 m T13 in a time of 3:53.31. Clifford credited his altitude training and European racing assisting him in winning a medal.
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 3:48.31 set by Tunisia’s Abderrahim Zhiou at the 2012 London Paralympics.
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 1500 m T13. Clifford with his two guides Tom Logan and Philo Saunders won the Men's 5000m T13. Clifford stated he needs guides for the 5000 m due to his deteriorating eyesight making the event dangerous for him.
In 2018, Clifford is a member of the Diamond Valley Athletic Club and Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.
His philosophy is "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced".

Recognition