Seven medals for WA athletes at 2019 Para Athletics World Championships
West Australia’s Para-Athletes claimed seven medals highlighted by Madison de Rozario’s gold at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, in Dubai.
Dual Paralympian de Rozario claimed three medals as part of a big program competing in the T53 800m and T54 1500m and 5000m. De Rozario started the championships with silver in the 1500m, behind Lihong Zou by 2 tenths of a second, though improving on her bronze medals from the last two championships before moving to the distance events.
Having set a new World Record in the 800m earlier this year the 25-year-old was unstoppable as she stormed to gold, reclaiming the title she won four years ago in Doha, for what as a third world title.
“That was a super cagey race. I think we always knew it was going to be,” she said, adding that she and coach Louise Sauvage had tried to formulate a plan to deal with the unexpected.
“She said it was going to be anybody’s race… I’m happy since I went into a race feeling like it was going to be completely out of control.
“I was boxed in there for a little bit, but I found a gap, and got through to make it work.”
In the 5000m de Rozario narrowly missed defending her title from two years ago in London, finishing second to claim silver, just two seconds away from gold medallist Lihong Zou of China.
In her world championship debut Rhiannon Clarke claimed silver in both the T38 100m and 200m, to continue an impressive run of results for the 17-year-old that started with silver at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. In the same two events Ella Pardy improved on her performances from London with two fifth placed finished.
In the F44 discus 19-year-old Sarah Edmiston was on from the opening round throwing 36.42 metres on her first attempt to go into silver medal position behind China’s Yao Juan (38.78m). Before improving on her final throw with 36.43m to consolidate silver.
“I never looked back. It’s really good I did that as the competition went for so long, and we were delayed starting (by half-hour), so it was great to get a good throw out there first up,” she said.
“The legs got a little bit tired there towards the end. But I’m just so happy. It’s been a really long two years of training.”
Chad Perris’ consistency was again on show with the Rio Paralympic bronze medallist earning his best even finish in the T13 100m at a World Championships. Stopping the clock in 10.86secs, three tenths behind Jason Smyth, earned Perris silver, improving on his bronze medals from the last two championships.
Also on her World Championship debut, Robyn Lambird, having competed in Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball Robyn Lambird continued her development on the track finishing fifth in the T34 100m.