A Paralympic Games to remember
Published Tue 07 Sep 2021
Australian athletics is celebrating a Paralympic Games to remember, with a medal haul that includes 4 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals.
The 36-strong team made their mark on Tokyo with several inspiring performances at Japan National Stadium, but it was the Australian spirit displayed that captured the hearts of new and old fans alike.
Australia placed 11th out of 56 nations on the Paralympic Athletics Placing Table, with the team delivering 2 world records, 12 area records, 5 Paralympic Games records, plus 9 personal best performances and 35 season bests across the 10 days of competition.
While each day provided highlights to those watching on from home, there were moments that will go down in the record books as truly unforgettable.
Madison de Rozario (Louise Sauvage) won gold in a nail-biting finish in the marathon T54, James Turner (Iryna Dvoskina) claimed a gold and silver to maintain his title as king of the sprints, and two-time Paralympians Jaryd Clifford (Philo Saunders) and Isis Holt (Paul Pearce) won medals in each of their respective events. Vanessa Low (Iryna Dvoskina) won her first Paralympic gold medal as an Australian citizen with a world record jump of 5.28m, and Michal Burian (Nick Baltas) thanked his adopted country as he sailed his javelin to a world record in the F44 class to claim his country silver.
Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley said the efforts of the 36 Paralympic track and field athletes must be applauded, with the team defying the odds in an extremely difficult Games cycle.
“The Australian Para-athletics Team for Tokyo faced challenges unparalleled by any other Australian team that came before them, yet rose to the occasion and made this one of the most memorable Games. For that, I am incredibly proud,” Bromley said.
“Not only did this team face the hurdles that many of us did during the pandemic, there was a distinct lack of elite competition for our Para-athletes to enjoy, making results difficult to determine in the lead up to these Games.
“Despite this, the team won four gold medals, up from three at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and added seven silver medals and eight bronze to the tally, for Australia to place 11th on the Athletics medal tally.
“Remarkably 86 per cent of our athletes placed in the top 8 and 14 of those 36 athletes won a medal. We must applaud these athletes, and celebrate each of the top-eight performances, Area records, personal bests and season bests, because for a lot of these athletes – their best is still yet to come.
“While our team enters quarantine today, there is no stopping our Australian Para-athletics Team. Next year you will see many of these athletes star at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, and their goal will be to continue their momentum in the lead up to Paris 2024.
“If you haven’t already got behind this team, I strongly encourage you to get to know each and every one of our athletes. This team has had a big impact on our sport and will no doubt continue this trend and inspire more Australians with and without disabilities to get involved in our great sport.”
By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 7/9/2021
