Rookie Turner storms to gold on Rio track, more athletics, swimming & cycling

NSWIS cerebral palsy runner James Turner has made the best Paralympic debut imaginable, crushing the world record on his way to the gold medal in the men’s T36 800m at the Olympic Stadium in Rio.

In just his first year of international athletics, the 20-year-old crossed the line in 2:02.39, a massive seven seconds ahead of Great Britain’s Paul Blake and a further two and a half seconds in front of bronze medallist William Stedman of New Zealand.

Racing from lane seven in the six-man final, Turner led the field through the first lap in 59.51 and barely tired over the second lap as he gapped his rivals with every step for the first of what is sure to be many triumphant performances at the top level.

A late starter to track and field, Turner first represented Australia in 2012 in Para-football 7-a-side at the AFC Dream Asia Cerebral Palsy Tournament.

A talented midfielder, who competed first competed in national competitions for NSW in 2009, and continued to play with the team through to 2012; James has also represented Australia as a member of the Australian 7-a-side football team, the Pararoos.

In 2015, James, who is studying a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wollongong, took his experience from the football field to the athletics track where he has been coached by Marie Kay and this year by Brett Robinson at his local athletics club.

It was just a year later at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships that James clocked his maiden qualifier for the Paralympic Games with a time of 2:08.90. He has come a long way since then.

Second silver lining for de Rozario in stunning finish

In her final event at her third Paralympics, 22-year-old NSWIS wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario has won her first ever individual Paralympic medal, scoring the silver in a thrilling four-way finish of the women’s T52/53 800m final.

In a stunning finish, China’s Hongzhuan Zhou snatched gold in 1:47.45 from the Australian in 1:47.64 and American Shirley Reilly (1:47.77). In the same race another NSWIS racer, Angie Ballard, fell one place shy of her ninth Paralympic medal, finishing a sliver away in fourth in a season best 1:47.97.

It was a well-deserved breakthrough for de Rozario after she had finished fourth – but a mere 0.39 seconds from gold – behind a trio of Americans in the 5000m, and fifth in the 1500m.

Ballard, de Rozario and fellow NSWIS athlete Christie Dawes, along with Victorian Jemima Moore, had earlier in the meet won the silver in the 4x400m after surviving a disqualification, a reinstatement and a counter-protest.

At the age of four, de Rozario acquired transverse myelitis, a neurological disease inflaming the spinal cord, but it wasn’t until she was 12-years-old that she got her first look into the world of wheelchair sports.

Two years later she was the youngest athlete in the Beijing 2008 Australian Paralympic Team, making the final of the 100m event before shining as part of the 4x100m relay team that won a silver medal.

Now ten years on from first taking to the wheelchair in competition the Sydney based student has three Paralympic silver medals to her name.

Swimming competition comes to an end

The NSWIS swimming contingent have set the Paralympic pool alight in Rio and a host of them were in the thick of the action on the last night of finals.

Tim Hodge and Matt Levy helped Australia to fourth in the men’s 4x100m medley relay behind China, Ukraine and Brazil.

Sean Russo was fifth in the S13 100m backstroke, gold medallists from earlier in the week Tiffany Thomas Kane (S6 100m freestyle) and Maddison Elliott (SM8 200m individual medley) were both sixth in their events and Jenna Jones was seventh in the women’s S13 100m backstroke. Kate Wilson was 14^th in the S6 100m freestyle.

Lisney seventh in road race

NSWIS cyclist Alexandra Lisney has placed seventh in the gruelling women’s C4-C5 road race, clocking 2hrs 22.56 for the 72km circuit.

In the men’s 99km road race B, NSWIS duo Matthew Formston and pilot Nicholas Yallouris were 13^th.