Great Scott Wins Silver

WAIS scholarship holder Brad Scott has won a silver medal in the T37 800m at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France.

The dual London Paralympic medallist finished behind the world record breaking Michael McKillop of Ireland in the two lap dash, to go one better than the bronze he won in the same event at last year’s peak event.

McKillop was in a class of his own in setting a new world bench mark time of 1:57.17min, but Scott’s performance saw the middle distance runner clock a season best of 2:02.81min to take second step on the medal podium.

After relocating back to his home town of Perth following the 2012 Paralympic Games, Scott thanked his mentor Iryna Dvoskina for the performance and, despite the time not being as quick as he was hoping, admitted he was thrilled to deliver for the Australian Flame again on the big stage.

“I’m really happy to win silver, I probably would have liked a little bit quicker but it’s the best I had on the day and enough to perform well for my country,” he said. “Michael is an unbelievable athlete and obviously it was very difficult to chase him down. He is someone I aspire to be like when it comes to competition and to see him run another world record is an amazing performance,” a magnanimous Scott said.

“I’m now back in Perth working with Lyn Foremanand it has been great to work with her squad in recent months, but the move from Canberra has been completely supported by Iryna and to know she still has my back is great. I can’t thank all of them enough.”

Scott made his Australian debut at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, winning silver as a 20-year-old before going on to win medals at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships and the 2012 London Paralympic Games. He competes with cerebral palsy.

-AthleticsAustralia