Joshua Ross (b. 1981) excelled at athletics as a child, but didn't take up sprinting in earnest until 2000, inspired by watching the Sydney Olympics on TV. His rise to prominence has been stunning: he won the prestigious Stawell Gift in 2003 and again in 2005, when he became only the second man in the 120 m handicap race's 127-year history to win "off scratch" (meaning from the back of the field). At the 2004 Athens Olympics he ran anchor in the men's 4x100m relay team - the first Australian 4x100 team ever to reach an Olympic final. After strong performances at the 2004 World Championships - he made the 100m semi-finals, and helped the 4x100m team take fifth place in the final - he will go into the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in highly promising form.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2006
© Sahlan Hayes
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Open Air is an exhibition of portraits of Australians in environments of particular significance to them.
Introduction The National Portrait Gallery’s photographic exhibition Flash: Australian Athletes in Focus explores various interpretations of Australian sporting men and women.
