WORLD PARA ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS DUBAI - DAY 6 PREVIEW
Published Tue 12 Nov 2019
The Australian team will be looking to stay in touch with top-five nations on the medal table when action starts on Day 6 of the 9th World Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai.
With four days left of competition, the Australians are looking to keep the pressure on. They are currently tied with Russia on four golds each – the superior number of silver and bronze has the Russians in 5th spot with Australia in 6th.
It will be a lighter program for the Australia team today, with mostly track events although there is a stand-out competitor in the field – Vanessa Low.
One of the established stars of Paralympic sport, Low will be competing in the women’s long jump (T61) final.
Low has won five medals at three previous world championships and two at the 2016 Paralympics (long jump gold, 100m silver) in Rio de Janeiro – but all for Germany.
The 29-year-old is married to Australia’s 100m Rio gold medallist Scott Reardon, who has sat out Dubai through injury to focus on Tokyo.
Low became an Australian citizen in July 2017, so this is her first major competition for her adopted country.
Eleswhere, Madison de Rozario straight off the back of her silver medal in the 1500m (T54) final on Monday night backs up for the heats of the 800m on Tuesday morning, alongside teammate Angie Ballard.
It is Ballard’s last race in Dubai – her eighth world championships – so she’ll be trying to make it three-from-three track finals. She placed 6th in both the 100m and 400m finals earlier in the program.
Sam Carter and Jake Lappin have both qualified for the men’s 400m (T54) semi-final today, with the chance of making the final later Tuesday night.
Another wheelchair racer in Sam McIntosh is already through to his final of the men’s 100m (T52) sprint.
Eliza Ault-Connell is lining up for her fourth event – the 400m (T54) heats. She’s made three finals to date so doesn’t intend snapping that streak.
Rio Paralympian Ella Pardy competes in the heats of the women’s 100m (T38) after reaching the final of the event in Brazil in 2016, and also at the London world titles a year later.
Pardy is joined in the 100m heats today by world championships debutant Rhiannon Clarke.
Clarke, 17, is no stranger to top-flight racing however, having won silver in the T38 sprint at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last year.
-ENDS
Michael Angus
michael.angus@athletics.org.au
Margie McDonald
mcdonaldmargie58@gmail.com
