- Australian flag bearer Madison de Rozario opens up about her father’s death
- De Rozario received the news the day after the opening ceremony
- Wheelchair athlete revealed the news after winning silver in the marathon
Australian flag bearer Madison de Rozario learned of her father’s death the morning after the opening ceremony, but only announced it after winning silver in the women’s marathon on Sunday.
The 30-year-old wheelchair racing legend said she considered returning to Australia and giving up her campaign altogether, but her family encouraged her to stay in Paris and compete.
An emotional De Rozario told the media the news shortly after her race.
“I think that as a person who I am, I owe a lot to him. We grew up as a close-knit family,” she said.
‘When I was growing up, he was an incredible influence. I think as you get older, you realize more and more what parts of yourself are your parents.
‘As a young adult you discover the good and bad things that remind you of yourself and your father, and you kind of resent them.
“It was a complicated relationship and I think, when I look at it clearly now, I got a lot of the good qualities that I have as a person and an athlete from him.”
De Rozario told reporters that the day after hearing the news, she burst into tears as she hugged her coach, unable to contain her emotions.
Madison de Rozario won silver in the women’s wheelchair marathon on the final day of the competition, before announcing her father’s death at the start of the Games
The 30-year-old wheelchair racer said she considered returning to Australia
“I think it didn’t really hit me until the stress of racing really started to build,” she said.
‘My team is incredibly great. It’s hard to keep everything in balance.
“When I’m not in Australia with my family, it turns out I’d rather be in a Paralympic village with 160 of my closest friends. For a group of people who had no idea what week I had, this was 100 percent the group of people I wanted to be with.
‘I couldn’t have wished for better.’
The Paris Marathon was difficult for wheelchair athletes because of the cobblestones.
“It was quite a challenge,” said de Rozario.
“I think the first 30 kilometers were probably more beautiful than I expected. I think I had in my head that the whole route would just be the most brutal route I’ve ever done.
De Rozario said she burst into tears as she hugged her coach the day after hearing the news about her father
‘Apart from some really, really tricky corners, there were also some really forgiving stretches of road that were just nice and long.
“I didn’t think it would be that hard, to be honest. You were a bit rattling in your racing seat going up those cobbles. Going up hills was unbearable.
“It’s nice to know that on the toughest part of the track… I was able to take advantage of that and use it to my advantage.”