de Rozario and Lappin clinch OzDay 10k titles

On the road for the first time since her historic New York Marathon win, Madison de Rozario clinched her sixth consecutive OzDay 10k title, while two-time Paralympian Jake Lappin won the men's event in style. 

Both clear favourites ahead of the 33rd edition of the iconic wheelchair road race, de Rozario and Lappin won their titles convincingly at The Rocks in Sydney this morning.  Lappin was first across the line in 22:52, while de Rozario stormed home in 24:18to finish over a minute ahead of compatriots Christie Dawes (26:10) and Angie Ballard (27:09).  In the men's event, up-and-comer Sam Rizzo (23:37) and USA's James Senbeta (23:49) completed the open podiums.  

De Rozario, who was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) today in the Australia Day honours, was thrilled to have started a big year of racing with a win at her favourite road event.

"I've competed in every OzDay 10k since 2008 aside from one, and it was nice to be out here and get the title again. It's nice to get on the road again and it's definitely my favourite place in the world to race," she said.

"Winning six in a row is an amazing thing in this race. This year's course was particularly tricky so it made us really have to bring in our chair skills. It's not a forte of mine so I just had to make up for it in other areas."

The 3.33km loop around The Rocks featured hairpin turns, rough roads and bottle necks, which forced athletes of all ages and levels to turn to their wheelchair skills to get through the race. 

"We keep having to change it every year because we lose road at The Rocks because of construction, so for me today, it was about trying to familiarise myself with it in the warm up to know what I had to do."

With hundreds of fans lined up to cheer on Australia's best wheelchair racing talent, de Rozario said she felt an extra boost of energy as she manouvered over the hills of the course. 

"Jake (Lappin) and I were talking about it at the start line. It feels like a really different vibe this year than previous years," she said.

"We talk about the effect that Tokyo has had on the Paralympic movement in Australia and it's the first time I've seen it out on the roads here. There's a new energy and it's unreal. It wasn't just at the start and finish, it was throughout the course, which is amazing."

Lappin's win marked the start of a strong comeback to racing after missing out on selection to the Australian team for the Tokyo Paralympics last year. 

"I haven't raced on a course or in a big pack in a long time so I was really excited to be out there racing with some other chairs again, that was realy great. To get that win, meant even more," he said. 
 
"The tight start was a bit messy (for everyone) but suited me a bit. A lot of people got stuck at the back but I got to break away and that set me on a good path for the entire race. There were definitely lots of turns, lots of bumpy roads, but it was good to be able to fly through this."

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 26/1/2021