Joshua Hicks started rowing when he was 14 by his own admission - because his school was next to a river. A talented junior athlete, Hicks was also a champion cross country runner. Hicks competed at the Junior World Championships in 2009, earning a silver medal as part of the men’s four. He also took silver at the 2012 U23 World Championships. At this time, Hicks was completing a degree at Harvard University in the United States on a collegiate rowing scholarship. In 2014, Hicks was selected as part of the men’s eight, competing at the Lucerne World Cup and the World Championships in Amsterdam, while in 2015 he was named as reserve for the Australian Men's Eight. In 2016, Hicks competed in the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in the Men's Eight, and was later named as the Men's Sweep Reserve for the Australian Rowing Team. He competed at World Rowing Cup 2, in 2016, in the stroke seat of the Men's Four, where the crew won a silver medal. In 2016/17, Hicks joined the Reinhold Batschi Men's NTC and was selected to race the Men's Four at World Rowing Cups 2 and the World Championships, while he raced in the Men's Eight at World Rowing Cup 3. He went on to win gold in the Men's Four at the 2017 World Championships, the first time in 26 years that Australia had won the boat class. In 2018, Hicks was once again named in the Men's Four, where he raced at World Cups 2 and 3, winning gold. He will race at the World Rowing Championships in 2018 in the same boat class.