Paralympic Champions de Rozario, O’Hanlon and Turner to Turn Up the Heat in Paris

Paralympic champions Madison de Rozario, Evan O’Hanlon and James Turner are poised to set the track alight on Day Two of the World Para Athletics Championships, while team captains Jaryd Clifford and Sarah Walsh are also locked and loaded to add to Australia’s medal tally.

Returning to the track for the first of the first of three events on her busy schedule, de Rozario (NSW, Louise Sauvage) will meet a slick field in the 5000m T54 Final, where she will compete to add global medal number 17 to her illustrious resume.

The field of eight features the prominent Swiss duo of Catherine Debrunner and Manuela Schar, but de Rozario is no stranger to producing her best on the biggest stage, earning a reputation as one of the world’s most stubborn competitors.

“Once you get here in this environment, you line up with delivering the very best race you can on the day. Sometimes you surprise yourself and sometimes it’s exactly what you expect,” de Rozario said.

“We tell athletes not to go into races with their previous failures, but I don’t think often enough we tell them not to go in with their successes – it all means nothing. I have won as an underdog and I have lost races I have been expected to win.”

Conceding that her preparation has been centered around a major marathon later this year, the two-time Paralympic champion is managing realistic expectations heading into the championships:

“It’s good for the sport and bad for me. I actually love it for the sport, it’s very cool to see that in two years the landscape has changed so much since Tokyo. I have done so much work on the road that I have not pushed on the track since Tokyo outside of training,” de Rozario said.

Jaryd Clifford (VIC, Philo Saunders) rose to stardom with an iconic 1500m/5000m T13 double at the 2019 Dubai World Championships, returning four years on as the defending champion in both events despite Tokyo heartbreak when winning three minor medals.

Buoyed by his appointment as one of four team captains, the 24-year-old is eager to lead from the front with a trademark performance that lands Australian Para athletics in the spotlight, renowned for racing with his heart on his sleeve.

“Ever since I was a kid, I remember the words of people like Kurt Fearnley who always said that when you put the green and gold on - you are representing more than yourself. It’s about the Paralympic movement which has done so much for so many people, so I think I can push my body to new levels when I represent Australia.”

“Being a team captain is huge because you want to set the tone and lead by example. There are some real positive vibes but the best way to grow that is with medals, I want to keep the ball rolling and give the team that momentum.”

Clifford is set for a showdown with Spain’s Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby who edged the Australian for gold at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 - determined to draw first blood in Paris ahead of the Paralympic Games of 2024:

“It’s a chance for me to gauge my competitors a year out from the Paralympics and another chance to redeem myself for Tokyo, I’m up against the guy from Spain, so this is one of the few opportunities to get one back on the head-to-head,” Clifford said.

Fellow team captain Sarah Walsh (ACT, Matt Beckenham) will put her new blade to the test in the Long Jump T64 Final, taking on a field of 10 with the aim of recreating her bronze medal heroics of the 2019 Dubai World Para Athletics Championships. Dutch T62 world record holder Fleur Jong (6.23m) will be the resounding favourite for gold, but Walsh will jump in a bid to assert herself in the medals after posting a seasons best of 5.30m.

Five-time Paralympic champion Evan O’Hanlon (NSW, Iryna Dvoskina) just keeps rolling on as an immortal of Para athletics, advancing to yet another global final in the 100m T38 yesterday with a run of 11.31(+0.1) for the third automatic qualifying place in Heat 2.

A stalwart of the sport, O’Hanlon became the first athlete with cerebral palsy in history to shatter 11-seconds back in 2008 - still producing results over a decade on despite an interrupted preparation.

“It’s a bit harder as I get older to keep the confidence up as I used to, so I’m pretty happy to make the final and hopefully I can improve on that. I have a couple of technique things already,” O’Hanlon said.

“We’ll wait and see. Pressure is on I guess because I keep doing things people don’t expect me to do in the final, but that good luck has got to finish somewhere.”

Teammate and fellow Paralympic champion James Turner (ACT, Iryna Dvoskina) will take his first look at Stade Charlety in the Heat 1 of the 400m T36, while the West Australian sprint duo of Rhiannon Clarke (WA, Danny Kevan) and Ella Pardy (WA, Danny Kevan) open their campaigns in the Heat 1 and Heat 2 respectively of the 100m T38.

Just days after her 18th birthday, Ella Hose (VIC, Gus Puopolo) will make her international debut when taking to the field in the Shot Put F37 Final as Australia’s second youngest team member at the championships. With her eyes set on the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games, Hose competes with the goal of learning from the best and building the foundations of her budding career, ranked fifth in the field of seven.

Adding to the finals action is Samuel Rizzo (VIC, Richard Colman) who progressed to today’s 5000m T54 final with a push of 10:31.67 to secure qualification on time. The 22-year-old is relishing the opportunity to be back on the world stage for the first time since 2018, adding another 12.5 laps to his busy schedule today.

Rheed McCracken (NSW, Louise Sauvage) is set to launch himself into the deep end of the 400m T34 as 12 men battle for eight spots in Tuesday’s final, with McCracken’s seed time of 50.91 sitting him on the bubble. The event is McCracken’s first of three, also contesting the 100m T34 and 800m T34 these championships.

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.