Tokyo Paralympics: West Australian Madison De Rozario wins marathon gold

Madison de Rozario has become the first Australian woman to win a Paralympic marathon gold medal, taking out the T54 race in a nail-biting finish.

Jaryd Clifford was physically ill near the finish as he battled it out in the T12 marathon to win silver.

De Rozario’s triumph is the 21st Australian gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics and her second after she also took out the 800m.

She held off Swiss Manuela Schaer to win by one second, clocking one hour 38 minutes 11 seconds.

Dutch wheelchair racer Nikita den Boer was five seconds off the pace for bronze.

“It’s probably the greatest thing I’ve done in my life,” de Rozario told Seven Network.

“I didn’t think that would be the result going in.”

American Susannah Scaroni led by more than a minute but was caught well before the finish to come home in sixth place.

De Rozario made her move on a hill near the finish at the Olympic Stadium, taking the lead and then holding off the challenge of Schaer in a pulsating duel.

Clifford showed great courage to hold on for second in his marathon, crossing the line in 2:26:09 to finish 4:26 behind Morocco’s El Amin Chentouf.

One of the big Australian gold medal hopes in athletics at the Tokyo Games, Clifford won two silver and a bronze.

He and Michael Roeger went into Sunday’s marathons holding the world records in their classes.

Roeger led the T46 race until just before halfway, but he faded and finished sixth in 2:34:45, nearly nine minutes adrift of Chinese winner Li Chaoyan.

Christie Dawes was eighth in de Rozario’s race and after her finish became an instant hero to all Australian parents who are home schooling during lockdown.

“Compared to home schooling and lockdown, this is a bloody cakewalk, a marathon in the rain ... but to leave my kids, do the quarantine, it’s been a big effort,” she said.