McCracken’s Time to Shine on Blockbuster Day in New Delhi

The party is just getting started in New Delhi as Australia’s Paralympic powerhouses prepare to hit the track on day three, headlined by world record holder James Turner, while Paralympic medallists Dayna Crees and Rheed McCracken are ready to launch their bids for glory.

Already the 400m T36 world record holder and one of Australia’s most dominant Para-athletics stars, Turner (ACT, T36) finds himself in an unusual position in New Delhi – aiming to win back the world title despite holding the Paralympic title.

Turner’s unbeaten run of seven gold medals at the World Para Athletics Championships came to an end in Kobe, Japan last year where he was toppled by New Zealand’s William Stedman, but his Paris triumph in a new world record of 51.54-seconds eliminated any doubt that Turner is still the man ahead of this morning’s final.

“I always want to demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of the Para cohort. The hard work never stops and you have to work hard so that you can compete well when the time comes,” Turner said.

“There’s always a bit of an expectation. I try to push it back and focus on the process of doing what needs to be done. If you think about the time you want to run when you’re running, you’re not going to run very well, but if you think about how you are going to run it – that’s when you get the good times.”

Few athletes on this Australian team have had enjoyed a better year than Rheed McCracken (NSW, T34) who has bounced back to prolific form off the back of Paralympic bronze over 800m in Paris, now taking on the triple in New Delhi in the 100m, 400m and 800m T34.

The first of those comes today with the 400m T34 final for which the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder qualified for in smooth fashion when winning his heat in 49.17-seconds yesterday, while Rhiannon Clarke (WA, T38) will shoot for her fourth global medal when taking on the 100m T38 – her first of three events on her program.

“Having the 400m first is nice, it’s not a Paralympic event so it’s kind of just an ego-booster between the competitors,” McCracken said.

“We have worked really hard on and off the track; I got to the start line nice and relaxed today. That’s the fastest 400m I’ve done at a major and I’m enjoying racing more than anything, Lou [Louise Sauvage] has helped me with that a lot.” 

Fellow Paralympic medallist Dayna Crees (VIC, F34) will take centre stage in a bid to cement herself as a podium mainstay in the Javelin Throw F34, building on her success at 23-years-old with her national record of 17.65m thrown en route to bronze in Paris last year.

The first-round appearances on day three of competition will be led by Paralympic medallists Jaryd Clifford (VIC, T12), Chad Perris (ACT, T13) and Mali Lovell (NSW, T36, NSWIS para athlete) who take to the heats of the 1500m T12, 100m T13 and 100m T36 respectively.

The 2025 World Para Athletics Championships are being held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, India from September 27 – October 5.

Australian viewers can tune in live and free via the Paralympic Games YouTube channel from 1:30pm AEST.