Two NSWIS athletes and their coaches have been honoured at the 2019 Athletics Australia Gala Dinner following the completion of the Australian Track & Field Championships in Sydney.

High jumper Brandon Starc and wheelchair track & road athlete Madi de Rozario received accolades at the event, as did their coaches Alex Stewart and Louise Sauvage.

 

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR – BRANDON STARC

Olympic high jumper Brandon Starc has inarguably had the best season of his career in 2018. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Brandon was brilliant in front of a home crowd, clearing a new personal best of 2.32m on his first jump. In doing so, he not only won the gold medal but also moved to number two on the Australian all-time list.

Following the Commonwealth Games, his tremendous form continued in Europe with clearances of 2.29m, 2.30m and an equal personal best of 2.32m. He challenged the World Indoor Champion and World Number 2, Russia’s Danil Lysenko, in two meets and was only defeated on countback.

In August, the Sydney-sider recorded another personal best of 2.36m at the Eberstadt Hochsprung event in Germany, equalling the 21-year-old Australian record in the process. To top off the year, one month later, Brandon won the prestigious Diamond League final with a jump of 2.33m, earning himself an impressive $69,300 cheque.

Brandon Starc’s coach, Alex Stewart, also took out Able Bodied Coach of the Year.

 

PARA-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR – MADISON DE ROZARIO

After a series of stunning gold medal performances in 2018, Madison de Rozario continues to prove why she is one of the most promising young athletes in wheelchair racing.

At her Commonwealth Games debut on the Gold Coast, she put the world on notice in the women’s 1500m T54 final, launching a decisive attack with 300m to go to win gold, before pushing to a 13-second lead in the women’s marathon T54 to make it two from two.

Over the following six weeks, Madison became the first Australian to win the elite women’s wheelchair race at the London Marathon, and collected a hat-trick of gold medals at the 2018 World Para-athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland, where she equalled the women’s 1500m T53/54 world record set by Tatyana McFadden (USA).

Madison, who was first encouraged to begin wheelchair racing by Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame inductee Frank Ponta, made her Paralympic debut more than 10 years ago as the youngest athlete on the Australian Paralympic Team. She is now training under esteemed wheelchair racer Louise Savage.

With three Paralympic appearances and three Paralympic silver medals now under her belt, and as the reigning World Champion in the women’s 5000m T53, Madison has never been more ready to contest gold at the Paralympic Games in 2022.

Madi de Rozario’s coach, Louise Sauvage, also took out Para Athlete Coach of the Year.

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