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10 Athletes To Watch At The Paris Paralympic Games

10 Athletes To Watch At The Paris Paralympic Games
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Experience, flare, courage and discipline. These are some of the qualities necessary to join the global top tier of Paralympic athletes.

Over the coming months, Australia’s finest will compete around the world in search of quota spots for Paris 2024 and a place on the Australian Paralympic Team. These great sportspeople and role models are among those you need to follow.

1. Madison de Rozario

The longer Madison de Rozario’s career goes, the better she seems to get. Paris will be the fifth Paralympics for Australia’s queen of Para-athletics and she will arrive at the Games as the reigning champion in the Marathon T54 and 800m T53. De Rozario, who’s formed a formidable combination with coach Louise Sauvage, has indicated she may race the Marathon only.

2. Curtis McGrath

Australia’s greatest Para-canoeist took a much needed and well earned break after winning both his events, the KL2 and VL3, at the Tokyo Games. The former army combat engineer returned fresh and raring to go at the World Championships in Germany in August, adding gold in the KL2 to his 10 previous World Championship gold medals and bronze in the VL3, setting himself up for a big Paris campaign.

3. Alexa Leary

A little over two years ago, Alexa Leary’s life hung by a thread after a major cycling accident. Incredibly, at her first major Para-swimming event, the 2023 World Championships, she announced her arrival on the scene with a gold medal in the 100m Freestyle S9 and silver in the 50m Freestyle S9. Her time in the 100m was just outside the world record held by New Zealand legend Sophie Pascoe.

4. Lauren Parker

Lauren Parker has unfinished business. At Tokyo 2020 she was pipped for gold in the final few metres by her American rival. But, since then she’s been unbeatable in the PTWC triathlon, capturing the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. Yet, triathlon isn’t Parker’s only goal. She won gold in the Women’s Time Trial H3 and silver in the Road Race at her first major international Para-cycling event recently. Parker is chasing history by competing in both sports at Paris 2024.

5. Chris Bond

Two-time Paralympic gold medallist Chris Bond is at the peak of his powers heading into the Paris Games after leading Australia’s wheelchair rugby team, the Steelers, to an incredible victory at the 2022 World Championships. The fiercely competitive Bond is one of the team’s points-scoring turbo engines. But, heading to his fourth Games – now as captain – his value to the team as a leader by deed and design runs very deep.

6. Vanessa Low

After winning a gold medal in the Long Jump for her native Germany at Rio 2016, Vanessa Low repeated the feat at Tokyo 2020, this time for Australia. Low and her partner, retired Paralympic sprint gold medallist Scott Reardon – who is now her coach – welcomed baby Matteo to their family in 2022. Low made a strong return when she claimed bronze at the 2023 World Championships and is poised for what would be a remarkable Paralympic three-peat.

7. Paige Greco

Paralympic gold medallist, world record holder and three-time world champion Paige Greco faced her toughest test after she had a terrible crash at an event in Italy in April. Physically and mentally wounded, Greco nearly retired from cycling, but bravely returned and won a bronze medal in her pet event, the Individual Pursuit C3, at the World Championships in Glasgow. It would be an incredible story if she were to successfully defend her Tokyo title in Paris.

8. Daniel Michel

Confident, determined and experienced, Dan Michel is now the world No.2 ranked BC3 Singles boccia player and half of Australia’s world No.1 ranked BC3 Pairs team. Michel and ramp assistant Ashlee McClure, led by dedicated coach Ken Halliday, have been on a steady progression towards glory, including winning bronze at Rio 2016 – Australia’s first boccia medal in 25 years – and gold in both Singles and Pairs at the 2022 World Championships.

9. Ben Hance

Australia had its best performance in a decade at the recent Para Swimming World Championships and leading the way was powerhouse Ben Hance. Since winning a gold, silver and bronze at Tokyo 2020, Hance reaffirmed his status as the world’s best 100m Backstroke S14 exponent by winning world titles in 2022 and 2023. He is also a machine in the relays. Hance is set for a big Paris campaign.

10. Jaryd Clifford

Mature beyond his years as a competitor and advocate, Jaryd Clifford arrived in Tokyo as the 5000m and 1500m T13 World Champion but left with silver and bronze, respectively, and silver in the Marathon T12. Undaunted, he has zeroed in on Paris ever since. A sign of Clifford’s mental strength came when he won a silver medal in the 5000m at the 2023 World Championships and later revealed he had a stress fracture in his left femur.

By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 28 August 2023