Sam Rizzo is a man on a mission, with his sights well and truly set not only on achieving selection to the 2020 Australian Paralympic Team, but also on winning a Paralympic gold medal and setting a new world record.
Just last year, Sam made his international debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games – in front of a thumping home crowd, no less. It had been a long time coming for the Ballarat local, who was introduced to wheelchair racing in 2008 and hit the track for the first time in 2014.
Although Sam did not taste medal success – he placed sixth in the men’s 1500m T54 final – the opportunity to race alongside Paralympic powerhouses Kurt Fearnley and Jake Lappin was one that he relished, and is an experience he hopes to carry with him to the start line at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Before the Commonwealth …
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Sam Rizzo is a man on a mission, with his sights well and truly set not only on achieving selection to the 2020 Australian Paralympic Team, but also on winning a Paralympic gold medal and setting a new world record.
Just last year, Sam made his international debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games – in front of a thumping home crowd, no less. It had been a long time coming for the Ballarat local, who was introduced to wheelchair racing in 2008 and hit the track for the first time in 2014.
Although Sam did not taste medal success – he placed sixth in the men’s 1500m T54 final – the opportunity to race alongside Paralympic powerhouses Kurt Fearnley and Jake Lappin was one that he relished, and is an experience he hopes to carry with him to the start line at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Before the Commonwealth Games, came the 2017 World Para-athletics Junior Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, where Sam put his T54 rivals on notice with four medals from four events – silver over 400m, and bronze over 100m, 800m and 1500m. Fittingly, he was also given the honour of carrying the Australian flag as flagbearer of the Australian team.
Next on Sam’s radar is the 2019 World Para-athletics Championships in Dubai, UAE, this November. With the support of his coach of seven years, two-time Paralympic champion Richard Colman, Sam hopes to give Australian selectors their greatest indication yet that he is ready to make his Paralympic debut in Tokyo and will do his country proud.
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