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Turner wins GOLD on spectacular day in Rio

Published Sun 18 Sep 2016

A gutsy front-running performance by 20-year-old James Turner (NSW) has delivered Australia it’s 25th medal of the track and field at the 2016 Rio Paralympics on the 10th day of competition.

Leading from the gun, Turner blitzed the second half of his T36 800m final to storm home in first place and set a new world record 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. Since 2012 Turner has been an established member of the national senior team, the Pararoos. Following successful tournaments in Canada and Barcelona, he was named Pararoo of the Year in 2013 at just 17 years of age, but when the team failed to qualify, Turner took his natural running ability to the track in order to fulfil his Paralympic dream.

Heading into the race, Great Britain’s Paul Blake was seen as the favourite to win, but stunning the entire field was Turner, who took it up from the beginning and by the end, put 7 seconds between himself and Blake. The 16-year-old William Stedman (NZL) won bronze.

"I didn't know how much of a lead I had, I just focused on the track in front of me,” Turner said post-race.

"I'm tired now but otherwise I feel fantastic.”

In her debut Paralympic Games, teenage sprinting sensation Isis Holt (Vic) won her third medal of Rio, clocking 28.79 in the final of the T35 200m for athletes with cerebral palsy.

A world record performance by Xia Zhou (CHN) meant the gold medal would be heading to China, but for 16-year-old Holt, her work-ethic and determination in her first Paralympics was praiseworthy.

“It was definitely a hard race, I left everything out there on that track, I tried so hard and I’m so proud of myself,” Holt said after the race.

The silver medal will sit alongside Holt’s Paralympic silver in the 100m and bronze as a part of the 4x100m team in Rio.

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.

At 22-years-old, De Rozario is at her third Paralympic Games, and is sure to be looking toward Tokyo 2020 in search of a maiden Paralympic gold.

Training partner and friend, Angela Ballard (NSW) was in the mix for a medal as well but was edged out to finish 4th, just 0.2 seconds away from the podium.

Yesterday, 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 and said he found it difficult to match the closing pace of Samir Nouioua (ALG) and David Emong (UGA) who took gold and silver respectively.

A tactical race, Roeger said he didn’t have the “extra gear” of the other competitors but was still proud of his medal performance.

“The Paralympics is a step up from the World Champs, and winning a medal, it does mean a lot to me,” Roeger said.

Aaron Chatman (QLD) joined the illustrious group of triple Australian Paralympic medallists after he won bronze in the F47 high jump on Friday.

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.

Chatman won silver in the corresponding event in 2008 and also holds a bronze medal as a part of the T42-T46 4x100m relay team in Beijing.

 

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 suffered a traumatic brain injury following a car crash in 1998, and now has two Paralympic medals to her name after she won silver in London 2012.

 

In a retrospective turn of events, the Australian 4x400m T53-54 relay team of Angela Ballard, Madison de Rozario, Jemima Moore and Christie Dawes have been awarded the silver medal after initially being disqualified from the race. The update sees China hold onto the gold medal as both Turkey and the United States have now been disqualified.

 

In other Australian results from Rio:

·         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.

·         Rosemary Little (NSW) missed out on the podium of the T34 wheelchair 800m, finishing 4th in a time of 2:04.10

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

·         Samuel Carter (QLD) progressed to his first Paralympic final in the T54 100m, with the 25-year-old finishing in 6th place 14.46

·         In her second event of Rio, 19-year-old Rae Andersen (NSW) placed 8th in the F38 discus final with a throw of 27.14m, just 5cm shy of her personal best.

·         Jemima Moore (Vic) raced to a 5th place finish and a PB in her heat of the T54 800m. Moore was a part of the silver winning T53-54 4x400m team earlier in the games.