Australia Completes Successful Para-Athletics World Champs Campaign

Australia has closed out a highly successful campaign at the 2017 World Para-Athletics Championships in London.

The Australian Flame team produced 28 podium performances for fifth place on the medal table, four positions higher than the 2015 Championships in Doha, whilst also collecting eight more gold medals than the team achieved in Rio last year.

From a local perspective, WA athletes contributed to six medal winning performances, with NSW-based star Madison de Rozario winning a world championship title in the T53 5000m.

De Rozario earned a full-set in London, with her world title win bookended by a bronze medal in the 1500m and a silver medal on the final day of competition in the 800m.

The triple Paralympian admitted her success in the 5000m had been a mix of joy and relief.

“The whole time I kept coming in and out of the lead, and I was worried I had my main lead too early in the piece. All the big screens around the stadium helped so I could look back and see what was happening,” de Rozario said.

“I know I need a long wind up, and with a couple of laps to go, I kicked forward and I’m so glad it worked out.

As reported last week, Chad Perris and debutant Sarah Edmiston produced medal winning efforts in the T12 100m and F44 Discus respectively.

Edmiston backed up in the Shot Put, heaving 8.04m for seventh place, whilst Perris was narrowly shy of the podium in the men’s 200m in a time of 22.08secs.

Commonwealth Games and Paralympic representative Ella Pardy – who was competing at World Championship level for the first time – closed her campaign with a sixth placed run in the T38 100m in a time of 13.68.