Key Factors
- James Turner has overwhelmed his personal world report, successful gold within the T36 400m occasion on the Paris Paralympics.
- Turner has now received golds on the final three Paralympics.
- Australia’s Rachel Watson and Alex Saffy additionally scored bronze medals in swimming on day six of the Paralympics.
Sprinter James Turner has revealed how a debilitating bout of glandular fever practically derailed his gold medal dream after he smashed his personal world report to efficiently defend his T36 400m crown.
Turner blitzed the sector on the Stade de France on Tuesday, bettering his earlier 51.71 world report which he set in Dubai 5 years in the past.
The 25-year-old, who received the identical race in Tokyo in 2021, completed with a time of 51.54.
Turner’s medal was one in all three received by Australia on day six of the Video games in Paris, with Rachael Watson (ladies’s 100m freestyle S3) and Alex Saffy (males’s 100m butterfly S10) selecting up bronze.
Turner’s gold was Australia’s first on the observe at this Video games, and he defined that his quest for glory had been on shaky floor since he was greatly surprised by glandular fever in Could.
“I used to be combating it for a month and a half, two months … it actually impacts the coaching,” he mentioned.
James Turner celebrates after successful the boys’s T36 400m ultimate on day six of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Video games. Supply: Getty / Harry Murphy
“You have to construct again up from zero and a whole lot of work from lots of people went into it,” Turner mentioned.
“I went by way of phases. I might have waves of exhaustion, the place I might barely stroll and I used to be stumbling round, in a little bit of delirium.
“I clearly wasn’t capable of practice and as quickly as I’d begin coaching, I might worsen, so we needed to be actually cautious and are available again actually slowly.
“I did not suppose I might have the ability to break a world report right here immediately. I simply thought perhaps if I do every thing proper, I can scrape throughout the road first.”
Turner has now received gold in three back-to-back Paralympics and the Canberra-based runner can be set to compete within the 100m dash.
His one want is that, like together with his 400m victory, he’s allotted fortunate lane seven.
“After I heard that I obtained lane seven, I obtained a bit extra confidence [because] each time I am in lane seven at a serious meet, I break a world report,” Turner mentioned.
“I’m racing within the 100m as properly … I might like lane seven. It is extra vital for the bends (within the 400m) however let’s examine if we will get it.”
Turner’s gold was adopted by bronzes for Watson and Saffy within the pool at La Défense Enviornment within the night session.
Watson’s occasion was a brand new self-discipline and she is going to goal to defend her 50m freestyle crown later this week.
