WORLD PARA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS DUBAI - DAY 5 PREVIEW

Three-time 100m champion Evan O’Hanlon makes his entrance at the 2019 Dubai World Para-Athletics Championships on Monday to see if he can extend his remarkable record.

O’Hanlon has claimed gold in his T38 cerebral palsy class at the 2011, 2013 and 2017 world titles – then you can add in Paralympic gold at the 2008 and 2012 Games.

Joining him in the T38 100m heats this morning are Australian team newcomers Ari Gesini and Sam Walker in a virtual case of the master and the apprentices. The final will be raced later tonight.

Both Gesini (gold in long jump) and Walker (bronze 100m) medalled at the Para-Junior world championships in Switzerland in 2017. Now they make their debuts on the senior stage.

It will be a busy morning for 17-year-old Walker.

He runs in his heat and then 10 minutes later, he lines up for the F38 shot put final.

But he will have a good support network as he swaps the track for the in-field as fellow Australians Cam Crombie and Marty Jackson are also in the final – Crombie is the reigning champion from London in 2017, where he set a new world record of 15.95m on his way to gold.

In other track events on Day 5, Jake Lappin has a chance for some redemption in the 1500m (T54) heats, after the disappointment of missing the 800m final on Saturday.

The evening session has Rio Paralympian Sarah Walsh in the women’s long jump (T64) final for leg amputees.

She missed the medal podium by one spot at the 2017 London worlds, so it will be interesting to see how her preparations this time around have gone with coach Matt Beckenham.

World record holder for the women’s 1500m (T54) Madison de Rozario races the final later tonight and will have teammate Eliza Ault-Connell alongside her.

De Rozario took bronze in the mile at the 2017 London worlds, but would dearly love to convert that to gold in Dubai having set her world mark in Switzerland in May 2018.

The last two events on the Monday night program have Lappin and 100m (T54) finalist Sam Carter vying for a spot in the 400m final, while Sam McIntosh has heats of the men’s 100m (T52) to race.

-ENDS

Michael Angus
michael.angus@athletics.org.au

Margie McDonald
mcdonaldmargie58@gmail.com