World Para Athletics Championships Dubai - Day 2 Preview
Published Fri 08 Nov 2019
Australians feature in three wheelchair finals on Friday night - Day 2 of the 2019 World Para-Athletics Championships.
Among the euphoria of middle-distance runner Jaryd Clifford winning gold in the 1500m (T13) on Thursday’s opening night of finals, several teammates put their heads down to try to grab their own piece of glory.
Luke Bailey and Sam Carter are into the men’s 100m T54 final, followed by Angie Ballard in the women’s 100m T53 final, and Eliza Ault-Connell in the 100m T53 class final.
Carter was 6th in the 100m final at the Rio Paralympics and would dearly love to get on the podium in Dubai. He won his 100m heat and then dead-heated with China’s Liu Yang in the semi-final in 13.98s.
“I knew it was going to be a tougher field but it’s sort of good to race that kind of field and get out in front,” Carter said.
“I proved to myself I can be up with those guys. It’s all positive for me heading into the final.
“It’s all about nailing he start and keeping things going from there. That’s what I managed to do today with my two races so I’m happy with that.”
Bailey finished third in his semi-final in 14.44s and automatically qualified for the final.
“It felt good – mentally I was there and stuck with the bigger guys the whole race. I had enough energy in my tank to squeeze into third place, so it’s all good.
“It’s my first Australian team, first world final. I’m back to the hotel now to have an ice bath and chat to my coach about it all.”
Ballard also finished third in her heat in 17.57s behind Bermuda’s Jessica Cooper-Lewis, but with the top three advancing to the final she is again at the pointy end of the 100m at her eighth world titles. She took silver in the 100m event at the London worlds in 2017.
“There’s always a few unknowns in your first time out, so I tried to sort out those,” Ballard said. “So it’s good to go through and get the first race out of the way.”
Ault-Connell now gets the chance to claim a third medal at a world championships, although her last was 13 years ago in Holland in 2006. She left wheelchair racing in 2008 to start a family and only returned last year.
But before her first race – heats of the 100m – she slept like a baby.
“I’m a pretty good sleeper the night before a race. It’s not my first rodeo – been there, felt the nerves before – but it’s just a matter of following your processes.
“It is good to the first one out of the way,” the mother of three said, as she has four more events in Dubai: 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m.
Recovery for her first world final in more than a decade will be simple.
“Eat, sleep and back it up on Friday.”
Australians are not featuring in any of Friday morning’s field events qualifications.
But the evening session has Australians in three finals and two others trying to make another couple.
Jake Lappin will race in the first heat of the men’s 800m (T54) and Sam McIntosh is in the first of two heats in the men’s 400m (T52) - both wheelchair classes.
- ENDS
Michael Angus
michael.angus@athletics.org.au
Margie McDonald
mcdonaldmargie58@gmail.com
