Madison de Rozario Secures Silver Medal Amid Personal Tragedy at Paris Paralympics

Australian Paralympic athlete Madison de Rozario has won a silver medal in the women’s wheelchair marathon, which took place on the final day of the competition in Paris. This achievement comes shortly after she faced a personal tragedy, as she revealed that her father passed away on the day of the opening ceremony.

De Rozario, who claimed gold in the same event at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, finished the marathon with a strong performance, clocking a time of one hour, 46 minutes, and 13 seconds. The race was won by Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner, who completed the course in one hour, 41 minutes, and 50 seconds, finishing four minutes and 23 seconds ahead of de Rozario.

In her statements to reporters following the race, de Rozario disclosed that she had contemplated returning home after learning of her father Roy‘s death on the morning of the first day of competition. Her family urged her not to come home, instead encouraging her to focus on completing her races.

De Rozario explained, “The reality is I’d rather be in a Paralympic village with 160 of my best friends.” She carried the Australian flag during the opening ceremony, remaining unaware of her father’s passing at that moment.

Further expressing her mixed emotions, de Rozario noted, “This week’s been a little bit of a blur… It really throws things into perspective. I’m so much happier with a silver.” She acknowledged the challenges faced during the marathon, particularly due to the unique course that included cobblestones and steep inclines.

In addition to her silver medal in the marathon, de Rozario also secured a bronze in the women’s T54 5,000m event at the Paris Paralympics. This brings her total Paralympic medal count to eight. De Rozario was competing in her fifth Paralympic Games.