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Seasoned campaigners Sam McIntosh and Cameron Crombie both clinched fourth place finishes on the penultimate day of the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, while the universal 4x100m relay team set a new national record in New Delhi.
In what could have been another heartbreaking fourth-place finish for McIntosh in the 100m T52 final, the classy wheelchair racer was quick to put things into perspective post-race.
Stopping the clock in 17.25 (+0.8) to finish 0.10-seconds off the bronze medal, the four-time Paralympian took positives from the race as he sets his eyes on a fifth Paralympic Games at LA 2028.
“I’m a little bit sick of finishing fourth, that was tough,” he said. “It was another one waiting for the names to pop up which I’m annoyingly all too familiar with now, but it’s a massive turnaround from where I was last year.
“This class has become ridiculously quick in the last year and a half. I’m really thankful for the team, there’s one person out there on the track but this whole trip has been a huge team adventure.”
Delivering his biggest throw since claiming the shot put F38 title in 2017, Crombie wound back the clock with a 15.91m effort to finish in fourth place, which he declared felt bittersweet.
“Four centimetres off, eight years later, it’s not too bad,” Crombie said
“Like every other Para event, the class has gone through the roof in the last few years. Marty Jackson, seasoned veteran, always used to say there would be a point where someone bigger, strong or better at shot put would come along – and there’s all three out there.”
Australia made its return to the universal 4x100m relay with a new national record of 48.96 seconds, finishing in third place of the race with a team of Nathan Jason (T12), Lexie Brown (T47), Akeesha Snowden (T37) and Luke Bailey (T54).
While the team did not receive a bronze medal due to World Para Athletics regulations with only four countries contesting the event, the quartet lapped up the experience.
“My mind is blank, I’m just so proud of everyone. I’m so happy we’ve got third and it’s most of our debuts. We cannot be any more proud to represent Australia,” 14-year-old Brown said.
16-year-old Coco Espie rounded out her campaign with a sixth-place finish in the 800m T34, while Jordan Fairweather and Jack Netting finished in seventh and eighth placings respectively in the 100m T35 final.
Earlier in the day, the 400m T38 trio of Briseis Brittain, Rhiannon Clarke and Layla Sharp all progressed to the final, while Rheed McCracken punched his ticket to a chance at a third medal of the championships in the 800m T34.
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.
By: Australian Athletics
Published: 5 October 2025
