Madison de Rozario is a champion. The defending T53 800m World Champion is a seven time Australian representative and a triumphant voice for Para Athletes across Australia. The charismatic 23 year old is no longer shying away from the challenges she faces on and off the track.

On the 15th of July, Madison will return to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the 2017 Para Athletics World Championships. With a packed schedule of events, including the T53 800m, 1500m and 5000m, she’s excited to reacquaint herself with the powerhouse Australian Para Athletics team. 

“It’s awesome being back in London, I haven’t been able to make it back to any of the anniversary games, so this will be my first time back in the stadium since 2012.” De Rozario said.

“The team we have at the movement is a team of incredible people, both athletes and staff. I feel like since Doha we’ve come together and are a close team. I’m excited to represent Australia alongside these amazing athletes.”

Following a successful 2016 Rio Paralympics campaign, where she collected two silver medals for the T53 800m and T53/54 4x400m, Madison admits she is excited about heading back to London and making up for the missed opportunities that were the 2012 London Paralympics.

 “London Paralympics was a bit of a rollercoaster for me, it had some pretty negative experiences. Overall it was incredible, I mean going to any Paralympics is an amazing experience. But it will be nice to get better results at the stadium.”

De Rozario’s form since London has been enviable. The WA born athlete has increased  her training and has seen year to year improvement which is evidenced by her results from 2017. Under the experienced tutelage of four time Paralympian Louise Sauvage, Madison is primed for a successful 2017 World Championship campaign. Ranked second in the world for the 800m, 1500m and 5000m, de Rozario admits she is in top form.

“I feel like I’m in career best form. I feel like every year for the last two, three years I have managed to make really great gains, which is really exciting. Even just some of my training sessions, Lou’s able to see that I’ve improved since Doha. The training structure from the last few years is all really coming together and we are seeing results which is so exciting.” 

While many 23 year olds might feel the pressure, Madison isn’t shying away from the weight of expectation. Having collected six international medals for Australia since her debut as a 14 year old, Madison recognises now more than ever there is an expectation for her to perform. 

“Going in to Doha I didn’t know what to expect and I had had sort of mixed results at major championships up until that point. I had won one minor medal and that was it. Then at Doha I won two medals and another two at Rio, so now I feel like the pressure is on to keep that consistency.. Which on the one hand is stressful and on the other I feel like I’ve done it before so I can do it again.” 

Adding to the pressure is the fact that Madison is the defending world champion for the T53 800m and since the 2015 Doha IPC World Championships a lot has changed. De Rozario has chopped six seconds off her World Champion winning time, but her competition has also broken the world record three times.

“I’m trying not to let it get to me. I guess going in to Doha I didn’t have any expectations that I was going to win the 800m. Even half way through the race, I think I crossed with one lap to go in last or second last place. So even as far as 100m to go, I had no expectations of how that race would end.”

“I think it’s important going to London with an open mind. I feel like our field is so strong and the world record has been broken three times in the last two years by three different women, and none of them have been me. So whilst I’m feeling strong at the moment and I have had some fairly decent results in Rio and Doha, the field is so strong. It’s difficult to know what to expect, honestly on the day anything can happen. They are an incredible field of girls.”

Regardless of the outcome, Madison admits that simply representing her country is still one of the best things to do. 

“It’s a pretty cool feeling put on the green and gold, it doesn’t get old no matter how many times you put it on. There is so much support coming from back home and it really feels like there is a whole team of people who want you to do well. The messages you get through social media and emails are incredible, you start to feel like you are there representing each and every one of those people sending messages.”

Off the track, Madison’s 2017 has been as impressive. Following her success in Rio, de Rozario sat down with the Sydney Morning Herald to give a frank interview  about her struggles with her body and the pressure to adhere to society’s notion of body image. Talking a few months on, Madison admits it’s still an issue she is passionate about.

“It’s not often I get the chance to talk about things that aren’t sport related, that I’m really passionate about. I feel like any disability sport is in this awkward in-between, where you have a disability and therefore we’re told by society that, that is not perfect or beautiful. But by the same token,  coming into the sport and realising what my body can do is actually incredible, even if it doesn’t tick all of the boxes we have been told it should. And that’s an important for message everybody.” 

“I haven’t always loved my body, and I think growing up that is a universal thing, we aren’t always happy with our bodies. But I feel like as athletes in para sport, we need to accept what we have. Working with it, rather than using it as an excuse.  I don’t think your capable of having the cohesion required to be an athlete, if you can’t accept your body.”

Madison has continued to champion this crusade through her social media channels to show the world who she is, beyond just a wheelchair bound athlete.

“For anybody social media is an incredible platform and it took me a while to get in to it. It is an incredible platform with great reach, that lets you articulate your own profile without being misrepresented  in an article. As an athlete who does interviews, social media has been great for me to help show the world my version of me, I’m completely in control which is a great way to present who you and what you stand for."

Madison is set to compete at the 2017 Para Athletics World Championships in London on 15th of July, with the Championships set to run from the 14th-23rd of July. You can follow all the athletics action here and on Athletics WA and Athletics Australia’s social media channels.

Photo Credit: Francois Nel/ Getty Images