Maitland's Maddi Elliott has won Paralympic gold in pet event
Maitland's Maddi Elliott has won a gold medal at the Rio Paralympics in her pet event the 100m freestyle.
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Elliott, 17, held onto her title as best in the S8 category 100m and dedicated the win to her late friend Jade Frith.
“I really want to dedicate this to my friend Jade. She’s been my best friend for so long and since I lost her a couple of months ago I’m going to dedicate this medal to you,” she told a Channel Seven reporter after the race.
Jade, a 15-year-old swimming champion from the Central Coast, died in hospital in April after she was hit by a car. At the time Maddi called on the tight-knit swimming community to post photographs “in honour of a lovely girl” and a cascade of tributes quickly followed.
Elliott finished less than a second behind the world record for the event, but the finishing time did not take the shine off her win.
“It was a lot of pressure...but all I had to do was focus on the race, stick to the race plan that me and my coach had and I’m actually really happy and stoked with the result,” she told a Channel Seven reporter after the race.
She has dominated the event over the past two years winning gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and IPC World Championships last year.
Elliott, who has cerebral palsy, was a clear favourite to take our her first individual Paralympics gold after winning gold as a 13-year-old in London in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
She shared the Paralympic win with fellow Australian swimmer Lakeisha Patterson who took silver in the Monday morning final.
- JESSICA BROWN & MICHAEL HARTSHORN
Katie Kelly and guide Michellie Jones win triathlon gold
There are partnerships in sport that we think are important. Then there are those where the proof is irrefutable.
For former Newcastle resident Katie Kelly and her triathlon guide Michellie Jones, a bond formed little more than 12 months ago has resulted in a gold medal at the sport's Paralympics debut in Rio.
Kelly, 41, has Usher syndrome, a degenerative condition that causes vision and hearing loss. With Jones close by her side, figuratively and literally, they took to the course at Rio's world-famous Copacabana beach and topped the podium in the PT5 category.
For Kelly – or simply 'KK' to her close friends – the joy was overwhelming after crossing the finish line after a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run, 1:02 ahead of Alison Patrick and her guide Hazel Smith of Great Britain.
"I'm just truly honoured and chuffed and to do that para-triathlon here at Rio is a really special moment," Kelly said.
"To have my mum and dad here, you know what parents are like. They've been crying all week, so imagine what they're like now.
"It is just so special to share it with everybody. And everyone who has been along with me on the ride."
That ride has been filled with more challenges that the average person confronts.
Usher syndrome is a genetic condition. On the day Kelly was told her eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she was legally blind, she rang Triathlon Australia to ask about the options for continuing with the sport as a vision-impaired athlete.
She was actually curious about taking on the Hawaiian Ironman. Instead, they told her all about the Paralympics.
"That was January last year, so this has all happened in 20 months. I'm just very honoured to be in this position," she says.
As with most athletes who live with impairment, especially a deteriorating condition, adaptation is the mantra.
"When you have a disability, impairment, whatever, you just learn to modify and adapt. That's what I've done and I've always been very active. Then when it got to the point where I was told I was legally blind, I thought how can I stay doing triathlon, doing what I love doing," Kelly says.
Of course, none of this this was possible without finding the right guide. Jones was that person.
The pair has a special bond and there was plenty of banter during Sunday's race.
Jones was driving her hard all the way and Kelly was told she couldn't celebrate until they reached the blue carpet beyond the finishing tape. Not that Kelly wants to listen all the time.
"Sometimes I turn the hearing aids off and tune out. M will give it to me! She's pretty tough, and that's what made her successful. So I'm happy to be told what to do and go along with it," Kelly says.
The name Michellie Jones probably rings a bell. She famously won Australia's first medal at the 2000 Olympics – a silver – on day one of competition.
It was triathlon's debut at the Olympics. In some lovely symmetry, she has topped that moment from sixteen years ago with a gold medal at the sport's debut at Paralympic level.
"Oh, this is better," the 47-year-old said. "This is so much better because when I think of everything that KK has been through, to be able to come here and do everything she's done in such a short amount of time, to me this is the best thing I've ever done."
- Scott Spits
Live event tracker: Follow the 2016 Rio Paralympics here.
