Debutant paralympians get veteran advice

Helping some of the newest members of the paralympics team is very important says silver medalist Madison de Rozario, who got her debut at 14.

Australian Paralympics veteran Madison de Rozario

Paralympics veteran Madison de Rozario says its important to help the newest members of the team. (AAP)

As the youngest athlete to compete for Australia in the Beijing Paralympics, Madison de Rozario is now quite the Olympic veteran, despite being only 22 years old.

De Rozario entered her first paralympics in 2008 and won a silver medal in the 4x100m relay as a 14-year-old.

About to compete in her third paralympics in Brazil, De Rozario felt it important to extend her hand to some of the younger Australian athletes and give them some seasoned advice.

"I remember what it was like to be in their position," she told AAP.

"Sometimes I don't actually feel like I should be in a role where I should be giving advice because I'm still one of the younger athletes.

"But these are my third games, and it kind of puts me in between those two roles."

Australian co-captains Daniela Di Toro and Kurt Fearnley started the team initiative the "mob", to link older more experienced athletes to the newest members of the team.

While only four of the 15 teams heading to Rio have been announced, a couple of young debutant athletes have been selected.

Making friendly connections before the athletes make the trip sets up an important foundation, De Rozario says.

"You normally don't get the chance (to speak to the younger athletes) until you're in the village and by that point you're so focused on what you're there to do that the last thing you're interested in doing is chatting with people and the team," she said.

De Rozario is hoping to add to her medal tally after coming extremely close in the 2012 London paralympics.

She finished fourth in the 800m, fifth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m and 400m events.

Coached by wheelchair racing great Louise Sauvage and training alongside 400m world-record holder Angie Ballard, De Rozario has just come back from an intense overseas training session.

"We were in Switzerland and the US and that was our last chance to race everyone that's going to be in Rio, and see where everyone is at," she said.

She expects the strongest competition to come from the American and British wheelchair racers.


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Source: AAP



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