Madison de Rozario becomes the first Australian woman to win gold in a Paralympic marathon – winning her race in 1 hour 38 minutes 11 seconds.
There’s no denying that the Aussies have been unstoppable this year.
De Rozario’s win makes it Australia’s 21 gold medal at Tokyo’s Paralympic Games. It’s also her second gold medal, after she came first in the women’s T53 800m race.
In the T54 marathon, the wheelchair racer claimed victory by one second – completing the course in 1 hour 38 minutes 11 seconds.
“It’s the greatest thing I’ve done in my life,” de Rozario said when speaking with Channel Seven after the race.
“I didn’t think that would be the result going in. I knew it was a flat course, I was a little intimidated to do another race on the road in Tokyo, particularly in the rain.”
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
Madison de Rozario comes from the clouds to claim gold!!
She storms home for a Paralympic Record 1:38:11 🇦🇺 🥇
Broadcast partner @SamsungAU | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/NkXxBvlwy1
— 7Sport (@7Sport) September 4, 2021
While she didn’t lead for the whole race, de Rozario managed to turn the tide on a hill near the Olympic Stadium during the race’s final stretch. The 27-year-old from Perth took the lead and shot straight for the finish line.
Manuela Schaer of Switzerland came in second, followed by Nikita den Boer of the Netherlands – who was five seconds behind.
The win comes after a much-needed pep talk from de Rozario’s coach, Louise Sauvage. A medal-winning wheelchair racer, Sauvage gave her mentee some wise words that shifted de Rozario’s mindset about what she wanted her career to be.
“There was a point in my career where I worried that I couldn’t be like Louise,” de Rozario said in an article by Sydney Morning Herald. “But it was her that stopped all of it.”
“She said, ‘You’re not going to be the next Louise Sauvage, you’re going to be the first Madison de Rozario’. Going into that race, she held me to a very high standard. She’s the most amazing person to have in my corner.”
According to Sauvage, there are greater things in store for de Rozario.
“I think she’s just coming into her prime for the longer events,” Sauvage said.
I was jumping up and down in front of tv , spilt my tea everywhere, I didn’t care.
Cried tears of joy ,and relief for you ! ❤️👑🏆— Greg (@clonka) September 5, 2021
The Tokyo Paralympic Games ended yesterday.
Overall, Australia came 8th in the world with 80 medals, 21 of those are gold, 29 are silver and 30 are bronze.
The next Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Paris, France in 2024.
