Tokyo Paralympics: Madi de Rozario wins gold in the women’s 800m

Madi De Rozario says she had become “notorious” for winning Paralympic silver. Not today, the wheelchair speed machine leaving her opponents in her dust in Tokyo.

Madison De Rozario draped in the Australian flag after her epic race. Picture: AFP

Australia’s gold medal drought at the Tokyo Paralympics is over after Madi de Rozario broke her own drought with a stunning victory in the Japanese capital on Sunday night.

De Rozario could not have picked a better time to produce the best performance of her stellar career.

Australia had not won a gold medal in any sport in Tokyo for the last three days and de Rozario was considered an uncertain candidate to be the one to break through after she had won three silvers but no golds from her three previous appearances at the Paralympics.

Madison De Rozario draped in the Australian flag after her epic race. Picture: AFP

But the 27-year-old wasn’t buying into that so promptly killed both birds with the one stone by winning the women’s 800m wheelchair race in emphatic fashion.

“Winning silver is usually my go-to … I’m notorious for it so this win has been a really long time coming,” she said.

“I’ve had success in the 800m since 2016. I went in to Rio 2016 as a world champion but the winner won it with a world record. It was a hard silver to take but the result I deserved.

“It’s definitely been a long five years to get back here. There is something special about winning on the Paralympic stage.

“This feels different to a world title and it feels nice to check this off.”

De Rozario left her opponents in her dust. Picture: Getty Images

Leaving nothing to chance, de Rozario and her coach Louise Sauvage decided before the race that she would go for broke, and that’s exactly what she did.

De Rozario made her move after the first lap, bursting ahead of the field and building up a big lead on the first bend.

By the time she entered the final straight, she was only racing against the clock as she steamed over the line in 1:45.99, just a heartbeat outside of her own world record.

“The 800m is a simple race tactically. There is one decision you make – sometimes in the race, but days like today, my coach and I made it a few hours ago,” she explained.

“Thankfully, my coach knows how to put a race together. She has done it for herself and for me.

“It was perfect, played to my strengths, and I’m really happy.

Madison De Rozario reacts after winning gold in women’s 800m final.

“Louise has helped me become the person I am, and a person I am proud of being off the field.

“There is so much trust. That relationship is probably the strongest I have in my life.

“She pushes me to be the best version of myself. She definitely sees my potential before I see it, and knew I could do this before I believed it.”

A multiple world and Commonwealth Games champion, de Rozario made her first appearance at the Paralympics, in Beijing in 2008, when she was just 14, winning a silver medal.

When she didn’t medal in London (2012) and won two silvers in Rio (2016), there were concerns she may never get the gold she deserved but she ignited the doubters and just applied herself to training even harder.

de Rozario on the podium with her gold medal. Picture: Getty Images

“In sport, a lot of your identity quickly gets wrapped up in your results, which is unfortunate, but it’s what we lean in to and are encouraged to lean in to get the best of ourselves.

“To leave those results on the track, allow yourself to grow and be a better athlete is a challenge.”

Australia won three other medals on the track on Sunday. Isis Holt won silver in the women’s 200m, behind muscle-packed Chinese sprinter Zhou Xia, who broke her second world record after also beating the Aussie in the 100m dash.

Robyn Lambird (100m) and Sarah Edmiston (discus) both won bronze medals.

Originally published as Tokyo Paralympics: Madi de Rozario wins gold in the women’s 800m