De Rozario named Paralympian of the Year

Athletics queen Madison de Rozario has been named Australia’s Paralympian of the Year for 2021 at the Paralympics Australia Awards in Sydney overnight.

De Rozario claimed the highest honour in Australian Para-sport after her heroics at the Tokyo 2020 Games, her fourth Paralympics, where she won the Marathon (T54) and 800 metres (T53) and took bronze in the 1500 metres (T54).

The three-time World Champion had not previously won Paralympic gold, but established herself as a global superstar of wheelchair racing at Tokyo before taking out the famous New York Marathon in November last year.

De Rozario was earlier named 2020 Female Athlete of the Year, completing an exceptional stage in the 28-year-old’s career, which began when she represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games aged just 14.

“The Paralympics is the largest platform for people with disabilities and you want to do everything that you can with that platform,” she said.

“That is one of the incredible things that comes with being part of this Paralympic team. We prioritise the Paralympic movement and the impact it’s had on the 20 percent of Australians with disabilities is unreal. Honestly, it’s a privilege to be part of that.”

De Rozario becomes the fifth woman to be named Paralympian of the Year since the prize was established in 1994. The inaugural winner was wheelchair racing legend Louise Sauvage, who also won in 1996 and 1998.

Sauvage now coaches De Rozario and was awarded Coach of the Year for her outstanding guidance of the track champion.

The Paralympics Australia Awards also featured the induction of five new members to the Paralympics Australia Hall of Fame including thirteen-time Paralympic medallist Kurt Fearnley, who competed in wheelchair racing at five Paralympic Games between 2000 and 2016;

For the full list of winners from the Paralympics Australia Awards, click here. 

By Paralympics Australia
Posted: 10/6/2022