Paralympic debutants thrust into the spotlight as records fall in Paris | Day Eight

Paris is proving to be Annabelle Colman’s (VIC, Anthony de Castella and Liz Gosper) happy hunting ground, with the 20-year-old achieving a nine-second personal best and area record to match in the 1500m T20 –  one year after making her Australian team debut in the French capital at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

Proving she is a big stage performer, Colman charged to fourth place in middle distance event after leading for most of the race, falling away in the final lap to clock 4:31.52. The Paralympic debutant also became Australia’s first woman with an intellectual impairment to compete in the event at the Games.

“That’s a pretty good time – first ever for me under 4:40. I had jam and toast for breakfast with a banana, maybe that’s the secret,” the 20-year-old said.

“My coaches just told me to relax, not to worry too much about placings or stuff like that, and just finish the last 150m strongly. I concentrated on running, staying with the pack and wasn’t focussed on medals. This makes me want to go event faster and get even better.”

Poland’s Barbara Bieganowska-Zajac claimed her fourth straight Paralympic medal in the event with a season’s best time of 4:25.06.

Walpiri woman Telaya Blacksmith (NSW, Jacinta Doyle & Anula Costa) showed that the future of Australian para athletics is now, rising to the occasion once again to soar in the Long Jump T20. Leaping to 5.21m (0.1), the Paralympic debutant broke her own Australian Under 20 record by six-centimetres.

With two fouls and her record making up her first three performances, Blacksmith wasn’t able to progress to the top-eight to for a chance at three more jumps but was thrilled to get her start at the pinnacle event.

“It was amazing out there, an extraordinary experience and I’m very proud of what I achieved. It’s an amazing thing to travel all this way and perform my best and make a show for everyone in the stands and at home, it’s fun. I’ll be back in LA 2028, I’ll make sure of it,” Blacksmith said.

Rewriting the history books for the third time this Games, Rhiannon Clarke (WA, Danny Kevan) stormed to an area record in the 400m T38, with the sprinter clocking 1:01.39, recording the fifth fastest qualifying time across two heats.

The global medallist in the event from the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023 will need to step it up a gear once more in the final if she is to claim her maiden Paralympic medal, with less than one second separating the second seed from the seventh in the final.

“That was pretty cool running out there. I could have run a bit faster but it’s good to know I’ll have a bit more in the final, I’m pretty happy about that. Running those times is what I came here to do,” Clarke said.

A year after claiming World Championships bronze, Guy Henly (VIC, Dale Stevenson) was unable to repeat his global feat, placing eighth in the Discus Throw F37 Final.

The gentle giant of Australian para discus, Henly threw a best of 48.58m on his third attempt, conceding he was unable to find his groove throughout the six-throw series.

“That was high-level competition today. Any of the eight guys could have medalled,” Henly said.

“I know I’m there. It’s just the range of one or two metres that can put you in or out of the medals and that’s the frustrating part. This has given me more momentum, a bigger appetite to keep improving. I’m planning on not settling on three Games. I’ll head back, do all the training and head into the domestic season to build into next year’s world championships. LA would be pretty cool.”

Continuing the discus action on Day 8 was Wakawaka and Gubbi Gubbi woman Samantha Schmidt (QLD, Ralph Newton) and Ella Hose (VIC, John Eden) who placed seventh and 11^th respectively in the Women’s F38 final.

Both bringing out their best on the day, Schmidt finished her second Paralympic Games campaign with a season’s best of 33.05m, while Hose proved once more she is a big stage performer, with a personal best of 28.36m in her first three throws.

Back in action after his world record in the 400m T36, sprint star James Turner (ACT, Iryna Dvoskina) launched his first-round attack of the sprint down the straight, finishing third in Heat 1 of the 100m T36.

Stopping the clock at 12.09, Turner was quick out of the blocks but made a concerted effort to hold back, saving his effort for the final.

“It feels amazing out there. The crowd, they lift me on their shoulders. I did pull back out there, I want to keep all I’ve got for the final.”

After missing the podium in his first 100m T34 final in four Games, Rheed McCracken (NSW, Louise Sauvage) will have another shot at a medal tomorrow when he takes on the 800m T34 final.

Finishing fourth in Heat 1 with a time of 1:41.51 with only three automatically progressing to the final, McCracken was forced to wait before finding out he had advanced to the final with the fastest non-automatic qualifying time.

“The start was good, the first 400m was good. I knew that with two of the favourites in my heat, the race would go fast. I was still a bit nervous because you’re putting your fate into other people’s hands, but our entire heat was faster than the second so I will just re-group, strap myself in and try to get in the mix and see where we end up.”

The penultimate day of the Paralympic Games will be a blockbuster day for the Australians, with James Turner hunting gold, alongside global medallists Rhiannon Clarke, Rheed McCracken, Angus Hincksman, Reece Langdon and Nick Hum as they look to add to the country’s tally.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 7/9/2024