Madison de Rozario wins silver, reveals father died on day of opening ceremony

Paris: Australian Paralympic great Madison de Rozario won a silver medal in the women’s wheelchair marathon on the final day of competition before revealing her father passed away hours before she led her country out at the opening ceremony in Paris.

After claiming gold three years ago in the event in Tokyo, de Rozario added a silver to her impressive collection in a race won by Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner, who finished four minutes and 23 seconds clear of the Australian after a 42.2 kilometre course that zigzagged past famous Paris landmarks and ended at the Esplanade des Invalides.

Moments after the race, de Rozario told reporters she considered flying home from Paris after finding out about the death of her father Roy on the morning of the first day of competition on August 29.

“The first thing my family said to me was, ‘don’t come home’. There was a very clear instruction, almost of get this done and it will wait,” de Rozario said. “That kind of takes a lot of pressure off to make what you feel is the correct or the moral decision in that regard.

“The reality is [while] I’m not going to be in Australia with my family, it turns out I’d rather be in a Paralympic village with 160 of my best friends.

“I found out just after the opening ceremony. I didn’t know during the opening [ceremony] but my mum did, who was in the audience for that.

Madison de Rozario crossed the line in second place in the women’s wheelchair marathon.Credit: AP

“We always had a deal that if anything ever happened when I was away for sport, that either she would tell me or tell [coach] Louise [Sauvage] and Louise would tell me when the time was appropriate to do so. The reason for that is my family is so bad at keeping secrets.

“You do plan for catastrophic things like that. I think I’m like a lot of young women, where we have complicated relationships with our dad, but I think the person that I am ... I do credit a lot to him.

“Growing up, he was incredibly influential and I think as you grow up you start to realise what parts of yourself are your parents.”

De Rozario said she was thrilled to pick up her seventh medal from five Paralympic campaigns.

“She was too strong,” said de Rozario of Debrunner, who won a remarkable five gold medals at these Games. “It was certainly her race today.”

Madison de Rozario after the women’s wheelchair marathon.Credit: Getty Images

The Paris marathon course was unique in that athletes had to race their wheelchairs over the bumpy cobblestones.

“It was very challenging,” de Rozario said. “I think the first 30 kilometres was probably nicer than I would have anticipated. I think I had in my head that the entire course is going to be just the most brutal course I’ve done in my life. Aside from some very, very tricky turns, there were some really forgiving parts of road that were just nice long stretches.

“I didn’t think it would be that tough, to be honest. You were kind of rattling around in your race chair going up those cobbles. Going up hills was excruciating.

“It’s nice to know though that on the toughest part of the course … I was sort of able to take advantage and capitalise on it.”