Vale Jobie Dajka

I can remember interviewing Jobie Dajka in a small room underneath the Dunc Gray Velodrome for Cycling Central.

It was about six months after the Athens Olympics and this brash, but determined track sprinter was making a bold comeback to the world of track cycling at the age of 23, after being kicked off the team prior to the Games.

Here was his chance to prove to the sport's officialdom they were wrong.

Video: A look back at Jobie Dajka.

He had just moved to Melbourne from his hometown in Adelaide, linked up with respected coach John Beasley – his aim – to attempt to make the Australian squad for the world championships of 2005.

It was a big step in the right direction for a bloke who obviously had some personal issues to overcome.

But he was so hungry to repeat the performance of 2002, when he burst onto the scene as a relatively unknown 18 year old, to snare the keirin gold medal at the world championships.

During the interview at Dunc Gray Jobie told me he watched the Olympics very closely on television, but what surprised me was when he admitted to "eating pizza and drinking a slab of beer almost every night".

He said had put on 20 kilograms in weight and returning to the track - at the time - was furthest from his mind.

But return he did and I can clearly remember him raising the eyebrows of many local coaches, when he collected a medal at the national championships that particular weekend.

I too, was of the belief, if anyone could make a successful return it was Jobie.

He was a true track sprinter whose rivalry with the likes of Ryan Bayley and Mark French are legendary to those who followed the big names on the velodrome.

His distinctive blond hair extenuated his pop star persona - he simply was a likable larrikin with talent on the race track to burn.

Apart from his obvious sporting qualities, I found Jobie to be a true gentleman, always offering a handshake whenever we reunited at cycling events.

He always had the courtesy to ask how I was doing, which is a rare characteristic from success driven sportsmen and women.

I'm told Jobie simply mixed with the "wrong crowd" during the final years of his life, however, it's not for me to elaborate on his personal circumstances in this forum.

I can only guess his eventual demise was as a result of wanting a way out and there was probably no one he could ultimately lean on for support.

Personally, I'm deeply saddened by Jobie Dajka's passing. I can only hope his legacy as a sportsman and genuinely honest human being will not be forgotten by Australia's cycling community.