Michael Roeger

EVENTS:  T46 1500m

AGE:  36 (DOB 13 May 1988)

COACH:  Philo Saunders

ATHLETICS CLUB: Hills District (SA)

PARALYMPIC HISTORY: Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo

PERSONAL BESTS: 1500m 3:44.82 (24 June 2023)

BIOGRAPHY

After making his debut at the 2008 Paralympics, he would win his first global medal in 2013, going on to finish on the podium at six of his seven global championships. The Paris Paralympic Games are his fifth Games and  represent 16 years on the National team.

Born in South Australia, Michael Roeger, now a Canberra local, got involved in Para-Athletics at the age of 12 after four-time Paralympian, Neil Fuller, spoke at his school, introducing him to the movement. Not knowing many people with a disability, Michael was inspired by Neil and decided to pursue a career in sport. Michael is a T46 classified athlete with a missing lower half of his right arm.

He grew up in Langhorne Creek (population 450), 55km south of Adelaide - a place he describes as ‘God’s country’.
Sport was a big part of his life growing up with his twin brother.
“I was kicking a footy before I could run. Being born without half my arm might have prevented me having an AFL career, but couldn’t stop me loving the game, or even being a pretty good player.”
Sometimes the umpires would think he was throwing the ball. “It was funny, especially in school footy when we played other schools and some of the kids didn’t know me and thought, ‘Who’s this one-armed guy, he can’t play.”
Michael played with the Langhorne Creek Hawks and went out on a high in his last game winning their under-18 grand final.

At his first international competition, the 2006 FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he won bronze in the 800m and 1500m events. Two years later, in Beijing, he made his Paralympic debut in three events. He ran in the T46 800m heats and 1500m and 5000m finals. 

In 2009 he was offered an AIS scholarship and moved to Canberra. Over the next few years, under coach Iryna Dvoskina, he leant to be a professional athlete – things like recover, how to stretch and nutrition.

In his World Para Athletics Championships debut in 2011, he uniquely ran on the 4x100m relay, but excelled in the 800m with 4th and 1500m with 7th.

At his second Paralympics in London, he unfortunately did not finish his 800m heat suffering a gastrointestinal bleed.
“The night before the race I was bleeding internally. It was the hardest thing I’ve been through. I was spewing up what looked like coffee grinds, but was dried blood, just before I had to go to the call room to race. I sat in the call room and I couldn’t stand up because my head was killing me. I got through half a lap, basically dropped to the ground and told them to put me on a drip. I was in hospital in London for four days, had to have a blood transfusion, then flew back to Australia to receive more treatment.”

At the 2013 World Para Athletics Championships he started a run of consecutive podiums at global meets. In 2013 in Lyon, Michael won bronze medals in the 1500m and 5000m in times of 4:06.74 and 15:13.98. In 2015 in Doha, he won bronze in the 1500m with 3:57.91. At his third Paralympics in Rio, he won his first Games medal, with a bronze in the 1500m. 

On 14 October 2018, he stepped up the distance and made his debut marathon – finishing sixth. His time 2:23.31 broke the previous world record of 2:26.44 but as the organisers didn’t claim the record it was never ratified. 

In 2019 they split the marathon from the world championships, conducting the road race in London in April, where he won his first global crown in a world record time of 2:22.51 and this time it was ratified. Showing his amazing range, later in the year he competed at his fifth world championships, in the heat of Dubai, winning silver on the track in the 1500m in a very fast time of 3:51.99.

In the middle of the COVID hampered years, in March 2021 in western Sydney, he ran a marathon world record time of 2:18.52. Later in the year he was selected for an amazing fourth Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Roeger went into the event as favourite but a stress fracture in his leg in the month leading up to the Games led to a hampered preparation. He gave it his best and placed sixth in 2:34.45. After the race and in the ensuring days he was very emotional about his performance.
“It was probably the toughest run I’ve ever done but I did it for Australia, for my family, for Langhorne Creek, for Philo (Saunders) and I still believed on the start line that I could do it,” Roeger said.
“Unfortunately, the injury came at the wrong time five weeks ago and I’m not using that as an excuse but yeah…no words really. I know this isn’t the end; I’ve got a lot more in me and my time will come, and I just want to thank Australia and everyone for their messages of support,” Roeger said.
Soon after the Games, the International Paralympic Committee announced the T46 marathon was off the program for the Paris Paralympics and Roeger's only option was to drop all the way back to the 1500m.
After a solid 2023 domestic season over 1500m, in June he was named in his fifth World Para Athletics Championships team - 15 years on from his debut in 2008.

In late June 2023 he confirmed his podium potential for Paris, by breaking his own T46 1500m world record, clocking 3:44.82 in Portland Oregon. He went on to claim silver. He commenced 2024 with bronze in the T46 1500m at the Para-Athletics World Championships - his seventh medal at the championships. He was later named on his fifth Paralympic Games team for Paris 2024. He will be wary of competition from Bulgarian Hristiyan Stoyanov, who has defeated Roeges at the 2023 and 2024 world championships. 

Education: Uni of Canberra - Bachelor of Communications in Advertising and Marketing…Hometown: Langhorne Creek in SA…Sports growing up: cricket, basketball, football, table tennis and lawn bowls.

@ 22 Aug 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au