Botanic Ridge’s Jack Maillard has taken home back-to-back world titles in sport aerobics and fitness, a feat that reflects years of dedication, discipline and mental resilience.
The 22-year-old claimed the individual adult male category at the FISAF International Sport Aerobics & Fitness World Championships, first in Belgium in 2023 and again this October in Prague.
Winning the 2023 world title in Belgium was, in Jack’s words, “a complete utter shock.” Coming into 2025, expectations were much higher from himself and from others.
“People were expecting me to win this time, and there was a lot of pressure on me,” Jack said.
“In my semifinal’s routine, I crumbled under the pressure a little bit. And I stumbled, and I was sitting in third after the semifinals, which was quite disappointing as I had all that pressure and so many emotions going into it.”
That disappointment after the semifinals, Jack said, you just can’t think about it.
“You just have to get over it, and you’re like, okay, that wasn’t my best routine, and I just have to do a better one tomorrow. That’s it.
“I did three routines at Worlds. I also had my trio in teams, so I couldn’t really be thinking about my placement for solo and let it affect everything else.
“And then going into day two, it was like, get my shit together and do a better routine, essentially. You have to forget and focus.”
That focus paid off.
He executed a one-minute-45-second routine of 16 international-level moves to a sped-up remix of Spandau Ballet’s Gold, earning him the gold again.
“When I did win, it was almost like a big relief more than anything,” Jack recalled.
“I was over the moon and extremely happy, but also really relieved that I lived up to what other people expected of me, but also what I expected of myself.”
Jack’s story began with hip-hop at age five before moving into cheerleading and aerobics.
By age 13, he was already competing in his first world championship.
“Looking back, I’ve basically lived in the gym or studio my whole life, always training, always competing, always performing,” Jack said.
While his family wasn’t particularly “sporty”, their support has been unwavering.
“At the start, it was a lot of explaining because it’s such a niche sport. So not many people know what it is or have heard of it before, unless they did it at primary school,” Jack said.
“My mum and dad have always been my number one supporters, taking me to training, helping financially.”
Jack’s daily schedule this year would rival that of a full-time athlete.
Between six nights a week of training, coaching five days a week at schools and clubs, and studying toward a future master’s in osteopathy, his routine leaves little room for rest.
“Some nights I train for two hours, other nights it can be up to seven,” Jack said.
“It’s pretty intense training because I’m at the top level of the sport. It’s a lot of hard work and not much rest.
“Honestly, it was very difficult. I’ve never had this much on my plate before. It was definitely very challenging and mentally taxing at times, but I’m glad I stuck through it and did the whole year.
“It’s really taught me a lot about time management and when to push myself and when to let myself have some slack and have a rest day.”
Despite the relentless pace, Jack spoke with enthusiasm and little exhaustion.
“I feel like my whole life I’ve just had to be a very resilient person,” he said.
“I’ve always been very outgoing. I’ve always been happy to say yes, and with the mental side of everything, like I definitely have my days where I feel like I don’t want to do anything, and I just want to stay in bed all day because I need to rest.
“But at the end of the day, I always look back and think, what would little Jack think of me?
“I just want to make myself proud more than anything else. I know that not getting up and doing things, I won’t reach my end goal that I’m looking for.”
Jack’s journey hasn’t been without setbacks, multiple injuries, including torn hamstrings and a broken knee, yet his drive hasn’t dimmed.
“I’m really bad at keeping myself from injuries,” he said.
“Now I just make sure I warm up properly and try not to do any dumb things.”
Still, what keeps him returning to the stage is pure passion.
“I like the fact that it’s something other people can’t do, which is kind of egotistical. And as an athlete, you always want to be better than other people, I guess,” Jack talked about what he likes most about sport aerobics.
“It’s nice to be able to do things that no one else can do. And also, the fact that going on stage and performing, you kind of turn into a different person.
“You just let everything out and leave your heart on the floor, and you’ll see it in every other form of dance as well.”
*What is sport aerobics?
Think of sport aerobics as a high-energy blend of dance, gymnastics and strength-based movement. Athletes perform explosive push-ups, jumps and flexibility skills in choreographed routines that must be both technically precise and entertaining.
