Global medallists Anderson and Strong to begin Australia's Parisian Pursuits

Reigning world champion Corey Anderson and Paralympic bronze medalist Maria Strong will kick off Australia’s campaign at the World Para Athletics Championships beginning at Charlety Stadium in Paris today, while five-time Paralympic champion Evan O’Hanlon looks to ink another chapter in his decorated career. 

A heavyweight of Javelin F38 for athletes with cerebral palsy or neurological impairments, former world record holder Anderson (QLD, Lukas Cannon) will be the first to take the field for Team Australia as the 23-year-old gears up to defend his world title.

Having left the Tokyo Paralympic Games with an agonising fourth-place finish, Anderson knows all too well that past victories and accolades count for nothing at a major championships - especially with the rapid improvements on the international para athletics scene.

“After Tokyo I kind of took a step back to be honest. I put on a lot of weight and felt like that was the end, I didn’t want to throw anymore. Only just seeing the competitors here in the past few hours have I really felt like I want to be back on top.” Anderson said. 

“I was the hunter and then I became the hunted, and now I am back to the hunter again. This competition is about getting back that hunger. My body isn’t 100 per cent but my hunger is 100 per cent and my focus is 100 per cent on building towards the Paralympics next year.” 

With a lifetime best of 58.18m, the Queenslander is not to be discounted in the bid for a medal with his 49.79m seasons best ranking him second in the field, which is led by Colombia’s Lemos Jose Gregorio who is the only man to have surpassed the 50m-barrier this year (55.44m). 

“I’m nursing an injury from 2018 and I’ve had to change coaches, it hasn’t been the best preparation but I am hoping to pop out a seasons best and win a medal,” Anderson said. 

Better known for their expertise in the Shot Put F33 after clinching bronze in Tokyo, Strong (VIC, Richard Colman) will park the seat for the frame on Day One of competition when lining up as one of the major contenders for gold in the Frame Running T72.

A new discipline on the World Para Athletics Championships program, frame running is a form of adaptive running, whereby the athlete is supported by a three-wheeled frame to provide support and stability. 

Strong’s personal of 17.78 ranks them second in the field behind Poland’s Magdalena Andruszkiewicz (17.42), with the pair set to ignite the home straight in the run for gold.

Medals can’t be won in the first round but they can be lost, which five-time Paralympic champion Evan O’Hanlon (ACT, Iryna Dvoskina) knows all too well as a 20-time global medallist. O’Hanlon is bound for Heat 2 of the 100m T38, while rising wheelchair racing star Samuel Rizzo (VIC, Richard Colman) makes his World Championships debut in Heat 2 of the Men’s 5000m T54.

Hailed as one of the most competitive events on the World Para Athletics Championships program, the 100m T38 heats will see 12 of the world’s best athletes battle it out for a place in Monday’s final.

Winning bronze at both the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 and Dubai World Championships of 2019, O’Hanlon remains eager to continue defying the odds despite an interrupted preparation, renowned as one of the fiercest competitors on the circuit who performs when it counts. Drawing Heat 2 which is led by the USA’s Nick Mayhugh (11.03), O’Hanlon’s best would see him advance to another global final. 

Not since 2018 has Rizzo raced his international counterparts at a major championships, and now the Buninyong local will be laying down five years worth of work to make his mark in the Men’s 5000m T54 - the first of three events for the distance racer. 

The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships is being broadcast live and free to Australian audiences on the Nine Network’s digital platform, 9Now. Full start lists and results can be found HERE.

By Sascha Ryner and Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 9/7/2023