Gold to Turner at World Para Athletics Championships
Published Tue 12 Nov 2019
Gold to Turner at World Para Athletics Championships
Triple-world champion at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, James Turner has continued that form in Dubai this week at the 2019 Worlds, but in a new event, becoming the T36 100m world champion. Turner has been the NSW highlight on days 1 to 5 of the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships.
In London, James Turner (WOL) won the T36 cerebral palsy class 200m, 400m and 800m, with two world records in the 200m, but in Dubai, he extended that range to the 100m – driven by the events that will appear on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic program. He will compete in the 400m later in the Dubai program.
In his ‘new’ event, Turner cruised in the heats, placing fourth in 12.03, but in the final he exploded, clocking 11.72 to break the T36 100m record of 11.87.
“It feels amazing. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, as it was over so quickly,” Turner told Athletics Australia. “I actually didn’t know about the world record until the Canadians told me.”
“Everything went exactly to plan. My coach Iryna (Dvoskina) saw to that. We’ve been practising very hard and I couldn’t have done it without her. She’s put a lot of hard work into me.”
There has been steady improvement over the last three global meets for Sarah Walsh (SUT), sixth at the 2015 worlds and 2016 Paralympics, then a fourth in London in 2017, but in Dubai it was onto the podium for a bronze medal. Competing in the long jump in the leg amp - T44 class, she was locked in a thrilling competition. After round three, she was in fourth place with a leap of 5.09m, just 1cm behind third and 2cm behind second. In round five she nailed her best mark of 5.20m, to lift herself in to second. But in the final round, there was lots of action with Japan’s Maya Nakanishi leaping out to 5.37m to take gold and Walsh had to survive an attempted raid on her medal when Holland’s Fleur Jong improved to 5.16m, insufficient to take Walsh’s bronze medal away.
“So stoked with that… I’ve been dreaming about this for the past two years – just to be able to stand on the podium with the world’s greatest and know I’m up there,” Walsh told Athletics Australia.
“I started off a little bit choppy and then finally got into the rhythm. My coach Matt Beckenham said to me ‘Just put a jump out there that’s going to scare the girls and that’s what I did.
“I knew I was capable of jumping big.”
Europe-based sprinter Evan O’Hanlon (UTN) added to his substantial medal haul at the world championships. He placed third in the T38 100m clocking a quick 11.05 faster than his win in 2017 at the world championships and 2018 Commonwealth Games. It was also his 12 medal at the world championships, pushing him one past Neil Fuller – achieving the most medals ever by a male.
Hills athlete, Tamsin Colley, only 17, competing in her second global meet after her debut in Rio, placed eighth in the T36 100m clocking 32.03, after running a PB of 31.77 in her heat. Colley has made significant progress in the last three years since Rio, where she was run out of the heats and clocked 37.80 seconds.
The first NSW athlete to compete was Luke Bailey who raced in the T54 wheelchair 100m. On debut he placed an impressive seventh in 14.55, after a push of 14.44 in his heat.
We also note, Canberra-based Angie Ballard who was sixth in the T53 100m in 17.44 and sixth in the T53 400m with 61.86.
NSW athletes continue over the last four days of competition. Follow all the action on Athletics NSW and Athletics Australia’s social channels.
David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: James Turner T36 100m champion
