Madison de Rozario, an Australian athlete who won a silver medal in the women’s T54 marathon, was burdened with the news that her father died during the Paralympic Games.
She only revealed the details of his death after she finished second to Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland. At the opening ceremony, she and Brenden Hall, another athlete from Australia, were named as the country’s flag bearers.
After the ceremony, de Rozario was informed about her father’s death the following morning. She then started her Paris Games campaign by competing in the heats of the 5000m T54 race on the following day.
According to her, she broke down in tears after reaching the arms of her coach, Louise Sauvage, before the race started.
On the Esplanade des Invalides, Debrunner secured her fifth Paralympic gold medal after finishing the marathon in 1:41.50. She was over four minutes ahead of her nearest competitor.
De Rozario came in second place with a time of 1:46.13, while Susannah Scaroni of the US earned the bronze with a time of 1:46.29.
After winning a silver medal, de Rozario told reporters that she knew that she had to go home. Being able to be with her sisters, who live in Australia, was very important to her. She said that her family initially told her not to come back.
The key to making the right decision was to get it done and it will take time. This was also conveyed in a clear and convincing manner, which helped ease the pressure off.
The next step was to decide whether or not she wanted to be away from her family. However, since she was staying in a Paralympic village, she could still be with her close friends.
For de Rozario, being at the Paralympic Games was very important to her.
Sixteen years after she made her debut at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, she was able to participate in the event for the fifth time. She finished fifth in the 1500m T54 race and also took silver in the marathon.
She admitted that she had a hard time dealing with her father. But, she said that his positive traits helped her through the difficult times.