De Rozario claims silver and Paralympic medal number eight | Day Ten

Australian wheelchair racing star Madison de Rozario may have been dethroned of the marathon crown, but has found the silver lining in claiming her eighth Paralympic medal as well as perspective while competing on the roads of Paris on the final day of the Paralympic Games.

At the Invalides on the closing day of competition, it was Swiss star Catherine Debrunner who seized her fifth gold medal in Paris, when crossing the finish line more than four minutes ahead of her Australian competitor.

Debrunner broke the tape in 1:41.50, increasing her gap between herself and her rivals over the 42.195km race, while Australian de Rozario claimed silver in 1:46.13, after pushing over the cobblestones of Paris, weaving through the Champs Elysees and Le Grand Palais and over the Seine. USA’s Susannah Scaroni rounded out the podium when claiming bronze in 1:46.29.

“We definitely went into that one aiming for that gold medal,” de Rozario said. “We always do that for every single race. Having done that in Tokyo, there was a little bit more desire to cross that line first.

“But that was Catherine’s race to lose. I think these entire Games have been such an unbelievable week for her.”

De Rozario also revealed that at the heart of her competition this week, was her the memory of her father Roy, who passed away on the night of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony – a day of both heartbreak and pride for the five-time Paralympian as she carried the Australian flag alongside swimmer Brenden Hall.

“This week’s been a little bit of a blur, we’ve just wanted to get to this point,” de Rozario said.

“It’s put a lot into perspective going into these Games. Not being able to (have the chance to) defend that marathon would have broken me. There was three years that went into that. But something like this, it really throws things into perspective. I’m so much happier with a silver.”

Following the marathon today, the track and road champion conceded there were times over the course of the Games that she considered going home to join her family.

“When you first get news like that, you know the option is there to go home. I’ve got two sisters in Australia at the moment and it feels correct to go home and be with family, but I feel so lucky that as I was having that thought, the first thing my family said to me was, ‘Don’t come home.’

“There was a very clear instruction of, get this done and it will wait. Turns out, I’d rather be in a Paralympic Village with 160 of my best friends.”

The silver medal was the second medal in Paris for the Australian wheelchair legend, who claimed bronze in the 5000m, and finished fifth in the 1500m T54.  The medal was also Australia’s 11^th medal from the athletics program in Paris, with the Games concluding today.

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 8/9/2024