Tokyo Paralympics: Madi de Rozario tougher after Covid time out
Most athletes have become fitter and stronger during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown of many sports. Madison de Rozario got both smarter and tougher.
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Madison de Rozario suffers pre-race nerves so badly that once she was sick on the start line of her event at a world championship.
The multiple world champion and Paralympic wheelchair racer, coached by the great Louise Sauvage, said anxiety still plagues her despite her years of experience in the competitive arena.
But the Sydney Olympic Park athlete is hoping she will emerge from the “coronavirus era” with better tools to handle her fears and anxieties.
“I get so anxious I get physically sick so we are dealing with those underlying issues. I’ve never had this opportunity before, the time to do it,” said de Rozario, who has used her time in recent months to forge ahead with her Business Degree, majoring in sustainability enterprise and international business.
“In sport, when you line up on a start line, everyone is as physically prepared.
“What does divide us is how mentally prepared we are.
“So this is going to be a big strength for me.”
Unlike some athletes already in the Olympic team for Tokyo next year, de Rozario and others have yet to be officially selected for the delayed Paralympics.
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But De Rozario, who developed a rare auto-immune disease when she was four which caused paralysis, claimed three medals at last year’s world championships - gold in the 800m and silvers in the 5000m and 1500m — to be among the favourite to make the team.
Allianz has partnered with the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia on a range of mental health initiatives with de Rozario, the Australian Steelers, swimmer Cate Campbell, paratriathlete Nic Beveridge and surfer Owen Wright the ambassadors.
Recent research showed Australians would be more likely to support Olympians and Paralympians if they heard how they have overcome the COVID-19 lockdown (41 per cent), their personal journey with mental health (37 per cent) and by getting to know the real them (46 per cent).
“When I compete I often think, what if I let people down, what if it’s not enough, what if I don’t perform at my best. The bigger the stage I’m competing on, the louder these thoughts get,’’ de Rozario said.
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“Having some extra time has been great for me, I’ve been working on stopping negative thoughts in their tracks and giving more airtime to the positive ones.
“By speaking up I hope to show that even athletes are vulnerable; it’s OK to have fears, but we can’t let our fears stop us from progressing.”
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