Double delight as debutants Lovell and Crees claim bronze medals | Day Three

A new wave of Australian para athletes are making their mark on the global scene, as debutants and best friends Mali Lovell and Dayna Crees claim matching bronze medals on Day Three of the athletics action at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Asserting herself as a star on the rise, Paralympic debutant Mali Lovell (NSW, Katie Edwards and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor) completed the perfect Paralympic debut, claiming Australia’s third medal on the track at the Games with bronze in the 200m T36.

With China’s Yiting Shi and Kiwi Danielle Aitchison making their intentions known early in the race, Lovell displayed her hunger for a podium finish with a gutsy run over 29.92 to pip Argentine Araceli Rotela’s 29.89 for bronze.

“I had plenty of nerves out there – felt like butterflies or bats, I’m not sure which, but I just wanted to save some energy to focus on running as fast as I could and I felt I did that,” the 20-year-old from the Northern Beaches of Sydney said.

Coached by the esteemed Katie Edwards and three-time Olympian Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Lovell said it was a relief to claim her maiden Paralympic medal after achieving medal feats at the last two editions of the World Para Athletics Championships.

“I’ve worked hard and I’m proud to myself to get the race done and done well. I’ve got Katie here, and Mel is watching on the TV, on the couch at home. I think there’s been lots of yelling but she’s probably crying right now.”

Just hours later, Dayna Crees (VIC, Gordon Talbot) rose to the occasion on her Paralympic debut after waiting almost two hours for her turn in the Seated Javelin Throw F34 to repeat her best friend’s achievement.

Keeping her cool, the Victorian bottled up her energy to launch the javelin 17.65m on her first attempt - automatically placing herself into bronze medal position and breaking her own Area Record.

“How cool!," Crees said. "My preparation got interrupted in January with a rotator cuff injury so just to make it here, let alone medal, I’ve just got no words. I’m just so, so happy.” 

Piling on 79cm to her previous best, also set in Paris at the World Para Athletics Championships last year, Crees was unable to add more centimetres to her best throughout her six-throw series, but left the chair with smiles. Crees was forced to wait to grab onto the bronze, with one more athlete needing to take her six attempts before she could celebrate.

A gut-wrenching ending to his Parisian campaign saw Chad Perris (ACT, Matt Beckenham) just milliseconds away from his second Paralympic medal – a scene reminiscent of his World Para Athletics Championships final in 2023.

In his third Paralympic final, Perris charged to 10.80 alongside Japan’s Shuta Kawakami, with a photo finish required to separate the pair. After a nervous wait, officials proclaimed that Kawakami had crossed the line in 10.80 (0.794) to Perris’ 10.80 (0.799), with five-thousandths of a second stopping the Australian from achieving his goal.

Taking time to compose himself, Perris said:

“I gave it everything I had out there. Full credit to my coach Matt Beckenham. I’m really happy with that race, but it’s a bit sour missing out by a bee’s dick.”

Back for another Paralympic Games, 48-year-old grandmother of two, Sarah Edmiston (WA, Paul Edmiston) achieved another top-eight finish in the women’s discus F64 final when placing seventh with a season’s best of 34.33m.

With three competitors flying the disc over 40-metres in the first two rounds, Edmiston reflected on her form stating:

“The competition has really sky-rocketed in the last 18 months. I always knew it was going to be a tough competition here, so I set a goal to make the top-eight and I did that, so I’m happy,” she said.

“It was an amazing atmosphere out there and I can’t tell you how good it is to see so many people supporting Para-athletics,” said Edmiston, who suffered nerve damage after a water-skiing accident when she was 19.

“I just love how it’s a level playing field for us. When I came back to competition after my accident it was so difficult to compete against able-bodied athletes. But this is an opportunity for people with many and varied abilities to compete together.”

Australian Team Co-captain Angie Ballard (ACT, Jamie Green) couldn’t help but smile on the purple track when placing seventh in the 800m T53 at her seventh Paralympic Games.

Conceding her placing in a time of 1:56.83 was not what she wanted, the stalwart of the sport said:

“It’s my first time out on the track and it is amazing! It wasn’t my favourite race but hopefully it will set me up for the end of the week (in the 400m). It’s a sea of noise and it’s awesome,” Ballard said.

“I’ve seen so much change in the Paralympic movement over these seven Games and I really think there is still more to come in terms of embracing inclusion. Most Paralympians are out there advocating and pushing, and anytime we can instil that in the next generation is a great thing.”

Four-time Paralympian Rheed McCracken (NSW, Louise Sauvage) will race for gold in the 100m T34 final on Day Four of competition, looking to break his silver streak at his past three Paralympic appearances.

Racing to second in his heat, the Bundaberg product clocked a season’s best 15.62 (-0.4) behind Canadian Austin Smeenk and finished as the fifth fastest qualifier, with the top-three times, including a Paralympic record of 14.81 by Chaiwat Rattana, achieved in the second heat.

Luke Bailey (NSW, Andrew Dawes) returned to the purple track for the 100m T54, and while he does not advance to the final, his seventh place finish in his heat saw him conclude the event with a personal best of 48.11. The Novocastrian has one event left as he takes on the 800m T54.

Australian results Day 3 Para-athletics 

MEN 

100m T34: Heat 1, Rheed McCracken 2nd (15.62s) Qualified for final. 

400m T54: Heat 1, Luke Bailey 7th (48.11s), 12th overall. Did not qualify for final. 

100m T13 Final: Chad Perris, 4th (10.80s) 

WOMEN 

Discus F64 Final: Sarah Edmiston, 7th (34.33m) 

200m T36 Final: Mali Lovell, Bronze 29.82s 

800m T53 Final: Angie Ballard, 6th (1min:56.83) 

Javelin F34 Final: Dayna Crees, Bronze (17.65m)  

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 2/9/2024