| Django Lovett | |
| Nationality: | Canadian |
| Birth Date: | 6 July 1992 |
| Birth Place: | Surrey, British Columbia[1] |
| Weight: | 72kg (159lb) |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event: | High jump |
| Collegeteam: | University of New Mexico |
| Pb: | High jump: 2.33 m (2021) |
Django Lovett (born 6 July 1992) is a Canadian male track and field athlete who competes in the high jump. He was the bronze medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, setting a personal best of .[2] Lovett represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Born in Surrey, British Columbia to Catherine and John Lovett, he initially played soccer before moving into the high jump, following comments by his school soccer coach that he was too slow for the sport. Lovett had success at a young age in high jump, breaking the Canadian youth record and receiving the honour of Canadian Youth Athlete of the Year in 2009. He attended Brookswood Secondary School before heading south of the border to study Arts and communications at the University of New Mexico.[1] [3]
He made his international debut at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics, taking a bronze medal. He later competed in qualifying at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics and was fifth at the 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics.[4]
He competed athletically for the New Mexico Lobos team and qualified for the NCAA Championships on several occasions.[3] He represented Canada at the 2013 Summer Universiade, though he did not progress beyond the qualifying round. He was top of the podium at the Canada Summer Games that year.[5]
Lovett's progress plateaued after the age of seventeen: from a best of in 2009, he had added only six centimetres to that by 2015. Clearances of in the 2017 outdoor season then in the 2018 indoor season saw him edge towards the elite level of the sport.[4]
In the leadup to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Lovett hit the Olympic qualifying standard in his third and final attempt at 2.33 metres at the Canadian Olympic track and field trials, beating Michael Mason for the Canadian title in the process. He was thus named to the Canadian Olympic team.[6] Competing at the Olympic high jump event, he jumped 2.30 metres to finish in eighth place.[7]
| 2009 | World Youth Championships | Brixen, Italy | 3rd | High jump | 2.17 m | |
| 2010 | World Junior Championships | Moncton, Canada | 24th (q) | High jump | 2.10 m | |
| 2012 | NACAC U23 Championships | Irapuato, Mexico | 5th | High jump | 2.10 m | |
| 2013 | Universiade | Kazan, Russia | 15th (q) | High jump | 2.15 m | |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 3rd | High jump | 2.30 m | |
| NACAC Championships | Toronto, Canada | 3rd | High jump | 2.28 m | ||
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 23rd (q) | High jump | 2.22 m | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 8th | High jump | 2.30 m | |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 6th | High jump | 2.27 m | |
| NACAC Championships | Freeport, Bahamas | bgcolor=gold | =1st | High jump | 2.25 m | |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 27th (q) | High jump | 2.22 m |