Rio Paralympic Wrap

“I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with this team. I have my family over there in the stands and I have my other family in the village with me,” were some of the final words of Australian Paralympic Team Captain Kurt Fearnley (NSW) after completing his fifth and final Paralympic Games campaign in Rio.

Heading home with 26 medals including three golds, nine silvers and fourteen bronze medals, the athletics section of the Australian Paralympic team can hold their heads high knowing they represented the green and gold proudly in Rio. Eight of Australia's medals came from athletes who made their Paralympic debut in Rio.

Leading the way on and off the track, Fearnley bookended his Paralympic career by winning the silver medal in the men’s marathon T54 on the final day of the Games. Locked in a fierce battle with Swiss rival Marcel Hug for the majority of the 42.195km, it wasn’t until the dying stages when Hug broke free to finish one second in front of the Australian in 1:26.16. Earlier in the program, Fearnley took home bronze in the T54 5000m and also finished 5th in the T54 1500m. Fearnley retires from Paralympic competition with 13 Paralympic medals (three golds, seven silvers and three bronzes).

A gutsy front-running performance by 20-year-old James Turner (NSW) stunned Australia as he broke the world record in the T36 800m final to clinch gold in 2:02.39. The result by Turner, who has cerebral palsy, was a six second improvement on his personal best. Turner, a relatively newcomer to athletics, joined the Paralympic team after the Australian Para-football team failed to qualify for Rio. In 2013 he was named Pararoo of the Year, but when the team failed to qualify for Rio, Turner took his natural running ability to the track in order to fulfil his Paralympic dream.

Winning the first gold medal for Australia was South Australian teenager Brayden Davidson. In a nail-biting F36 long jump contest for athletes with cerebral palsy, Davidson tied with his Brazilian opponent Rodrigo Parreira da Silva, with one centimetre being all that separated the three medallists. Walking away from his first Paralympic Games as champion, Davidson jumped an 11cm personal best, set the new Paralympic record for the event and captivated viewers with an emotional post-competition tribute to his grandparents. 

Canberra-based sprinter, Scott Reardon (ACT) was crowned Paralympic champion after charging through his final of the T42 100m for leg amputees the line in 12.26. Reardon’s victory adds to the gold medal he won at the Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships last year and improves on the silver medal he won in the same event at London 2012 four years ago.

Experienced campaigner Angela Ballard (NSW) moved her total Paralympic Games medal tally to eight with two bronze medal performances in the T53 100m and 400m respectively in Rio. Co-captain of the Australian athletics team, Ballard also finished 4^th in the 800m and was a part of the T53-54 4x400m wheelchair relay team who retrospectively picked up the silver medal after initially being disqualified in a turn of events. The relay team also included wheelchair racers Christie Dawes (NSW), Madison de Rozario (WA) and Jemima Moore (Vic).

In her debut Paralympic Games, teenage sprinting sensation Isis Holt (Vic) leaves Rio with three medals in the T35 100m, 200m and 4x100m. In the 100m and 200m, Holt was only beaten by two world record performances by Xia Zhou (CHN) meaning the gold medals would head to China and Holt would take silver. In the 4x100m relay for athletes with cerebral palsy, Holt alongside Erin Cleaver (NSW), Ella Pardy (WA) and Jodi Elkington-Jones (NSW) won bronze.

In the T53 wheelchair 800m, Madison de Rozario (WA) flew home late on the outside to win the silver medal in a time of 1:47.64. Her first individual Paralympic medal, the silver compliment’s De Rozario’s gold she won at the IPC World Championships last year. De Rozario was also a part of the silver winning 4x400m relay team.

In what was his last race in Australian Paralympic team colours, Evan O’Hanlon (ACT) won silver in the men’s T38 100m for athletes with cerebral palsy. Edged out for gold by Jianwen Hu (CHN), who clocked a world record of 10.74 to claim victory, O’Hanlon crossed the line in 10.98 (w: -0.3) to add a sixth medal to his existing Paralympic Games trophy cabinet of five golds.

Also flying home with extra baggage is 19 year-old Rheed McCracken (Qld) who won a silver in the T34 800m final to go with his bronze he won in the 100m. Now with four Paralympic medals to his name, McCracken’s bright future excites as the teenager is likely to head to Tokyo 2020 with valuable experience under his belt.

Australia was caught up in the excitement of ‘The White Tiger’ as Chad Perris (ACT), the charming albino and visually impaired athlete took home Paralympic bronze in the T13 100m. Perris qualified for the round-of-eight with a then Australian record and personal best of 10.91 before improving that mark to 10.83 in the final to cross third behind the formidable Jason Smyth of Ireland.

Early in the competition, the lovable big man of the Paralympic team, Todd “The Hulk” Hodgetts (Tas) won bronze in the men’s F20 shot put. Whilst it may not have been the gold medal performance he was looking for, Hodgetts won many admirers with his positive outlook on the result.

On the same day, fellow Taswegian Deon Kenzie put in a gutsy performance in the men’s 1500m T38, holding on to win silver at his first Paralympic Games. Leading at the sound of the bell, the 20-year-old tried desperately to stick on to Abbes Saidi (TUN) but fell away at the last sprint.

In the horizontal jumps, Taylor Doyle (NSW) won Australia a silver medal in the F38 long jump with a leap of 4.62m. The performance marks an impressive improvement for Doyle who last year placed 5th in the same event at the 2015 IPC World Championships in Doha.

Jodi Elkington-Jones (NSW) took to the runway for the T37 long jump for athletes with cerebral palsy, and walked away with a bronze medal at her second Paralympic Games. Jumping 4.30m, Elkington-Jones’ series also included leaps of 4.27m, 3.60m and three fouls.

Queensland’s Carlee Beattie won bronze with a leap of 5.57m in the women’s F47 long jump competition. Beattie’s podium finish sits alongside the silver she won in London four years ago. Beattie was edged out for gold by friendly rival Anna Grimaldi (NZL), who jumped a personal best of 5.62m to win the Paralympic crown.

Gutsy distance runner Michael Roeger (ACT) won his first Paralympic medal after taking bronze in the T46 1500m for amputees. Visibly emotional and frustrated after the race, Roeger himself said he had higher hopes in the race, but can still be proud of his first medal performance at his third Paralympic Games.

Aaron Chatman (QLD) joined the illustrious group of triple Australian Paralympic medallists after he won bronze in the F47 high jump. The 29-year-old arm amputee jumped a PB of 1.99m on his third and final attempt to tie height with silver medallist Hongjie Chen (CHN) but was awarded bronze on countback.

Short statured athlete, Claire Keefer (Qld) set a new Oceania Record in the F41 shot put to collect the bronze medal for Australia. Both Keefer and Youssra Karim (MAR) threw 8.16m on their first attempts, but the medal was awarded to the Queenslander after countback.

Katherine Proudfoot (ACT) threw 9.70m to win bronze in the F36 women’s shot put for athletes with cerebral palsy. Competing at her third Paralympics, the 39-year-old will add the bronze medal to the discus silver she won in 2008 and the discus bronze she won in 2012. 

Fellow Paralympic veteran Louise Ellery (ACT) won bronze in the F32 shot put with a throw of 4.19m on her fifth attempt to jump into medal contention. Ellery now has two Paralympic medals to her name after she won silver in London 2012.

Australia had a total of 45 top-five performances across the Games, which included:

·         After a race against time following ACL surgery, Maddy Hogan (Vic) finished fifth in the women’s F46 javelin.

·         Wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario (WA) came fifth in the final of the T54 1500m and also finished 4th in the 5000m.

·         Torita Isaac (Qld) stopped the clock at 1:04.47 to narrowly miss a medal in the final of the women’s T38 400m for athletes with cerebral palsy. Isaac is Australian athletics’ only indigenous starter at Rio 2016, and she is also visually impaired.

·         Jessee Wyatt (Vic) competing in the F33 shot put hit a best mark of 8.71m to place fourth.

·         Fellow Victorian Sam McIntosh also narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in the T52 wheelchair 100m.

·         At his first Games, Guy Henly (NSW) also placed fourth in the men’s discus throw F37 for athletes with cerebral palsy.

·         Rosemary Little (NSW) just missed out on the podium of the T34 wheelchair 800m, finishing 4th in a time of 2:04.10. This result mirrors Little’s effort in the 400m final where she also finished in fourth. Little came fifth in the women’s 100m T34 final.

·         In the throws, 19-year-old Rae Andersen (NSW) placed fifth in the women’s javelin F37 with a personal best.

·         Nicholas Hum (Vic) put himself within reach of the medals in the men’s long jump F20 final, but was edged out to finish fifth.

·         In the long jump F38, 16-year-old Games debutante Erin Cleaver (NSW) finished in fifth place.

·         Brydee Moore (Vic) could be forgiven for feeling disappointed after missing out on a medal by just 1cm during the F33 women’s shot put final for athletes with cerebral palsy, finishing 4th, her best finish at her third Paralympic Games.

·         In the T35 200m in which Holt won silver, 18-year-old Queenslander Brianna Coop finished 5th in 33.08.

·         Throwing a best mark of 45.63m, Jayden Sawyer (ACT), the training partner of Olympian Kelsey-Lee Roberts, placed 5th in the F38 javelin for athletes with cerebral palsy.