Australian medal magnet Madison de Rozario admits to being slightly daunted at the prospect of racing through the cobbled streets of Paris in a bid to defend her Paralympic marathon gold.
So much so the decorated Paralympian could feel her “heart sinking” when she first laid eyes on the challenge that awaits her.
T53 racer de Rozario was a flagbearer along with swimmer Brenden Hall at Wednesday night’s (local time) opening ceremony on the Champs Elysees.
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Just 34 of the 152 Australian athletes sent to the French capital participated in the ceremony with many opting to rest up ahead of a jam-packed 11 days of action.
De Rozario’s first three races — the 800m, 1500m and 5000m — will all take place on the athletics track at the Stade de France.
But the marathon, which de Rozario won in Tokyo and says is “her main focus”, will pose a uniquely Parisian challenge for the six-time medal winner come Sunday week.
“It’s been on my mind a lot, we’ve been training in the village the last few mornings where there is a bit of a cobbled stretch through it,” she said.
“We’ve been doing reps of that and we’ve been briefed on what it looks like.
“To actually see the cobblestone in person and I could feel my heart sinking as we were driving over them.”
Across a 42km long course, de Rozario must navigate sharp Parisian bends, a 185m climb and cobbled streets that have the potential to be a banana skin to her medal hopes.
“We’ve been preparing for them back home and the race chair has been adjusted to try to cater to it as much as possible,” de Rozario said.
“We’ve been trying to find some difficult bits of road back home in Australia to train on.
“(But) at the end of the day we’re in the exact same position, a bunch of race chairs over cobbles that we’re not terribly used to.
“It’s a very intensive course and it’s very different to what Tokyo was — smooth roads and big sweeping turns — whereas here it’s very technical, more sharp turns and a lot of uneven roads.”
Australia’s athletes are also set to be treated to crowds after winning medals in empty stadiums during the COVID-19-impacted Games in Tokyo.
Local organisers have already sold more than two million tickets across 10 days of events, starting on Thursday evening (AEDT), that will take place at venues as diverse as the Eiffel Tower, Roland Garros and the Palace of Versailles.
“It’s incredible for the Paralympic movement to know that Parisians and so many Australians who’ve come across here are filling these stadiums,” said Australia’s chef de mission Kate McLoughlin.
“(It) will be brilliant for the athletes.
“They can harness that energy from the crowd and the fact that there are so many people willing to pay money to see our incredible athletes is wonderful.”
Australian co-captain Angie Ballard added: “This is my seventh Games and I’ve met strangers who have gone, ‘Hey the Games are starting on the 28th’, and I’m like, ‘How do you know that?’
“That’s so different to what I’ve experienced over a long period of time … post Tokyo, this the chance to enjoy a real Paralympic Games where there’s a real input from the crowd.”