Celebration turned to disappointment as Australian star Chad Perris missed out on a medal by just one hundredth of a second on day four of the world para athletics championships in Paris.
Seeking a fourth consecutive world medal, Perris (ACT) charged to a 10.87-second (-0.7) in the 100m T13 final to finish fourth behind Thailand’s Jakkarim Dammunee (10.86) in a blanket finish on Wednesday.
“I crossed the line and was told I won bronze and celebrated. I had the flag out and then was told that it was fourth after all so that’s probably the most disappointing bit,” Perris said.
“It’s really tough but there was a medal left for the taking and when I look back on the journey of the last 18 months I am really happy with where I’ve gone with my coach Matt Beckenham and we really have really enjoyed this time.
"I think this is going to spur me on for Paris next year,” Perris said.
Amid the disappointment, Perris delivered a dose of perspective:
“This season has been incredibly successful. I’ve run the fastest I’ve ever run this season and had just about more fun than ever. I’ll continue doing that in the lead up to world championships next year and onto Paris in September.”
Eighteen-year-old Abby Craswell (Qld) raced to sixth place in the 100m T36 in 15.15 (+1.3), with 19-year-old teammate Mali Lovell (NSW) clocking 15.17 for seventh place. The debutant duo now turning their attention to the 200m T36 heats.
Dayna Crees (Vic) continued to relish her debut campaign, delivering a 6.26m effort to claim sixth place in the shot put F34 – backing up yesterday’s fourth-place finish in the javelin F34.
Australia’s youngest team member, Angus Hincksman (SA), safely navigated the first round of the 400m T38, clocking a personal best of 55.30 to open his account on the world stage.
The 17-year-old middle-distance runner advanced ranked seventh into Thursday's final, before focussing on his favoured 1500m T38.
At his fifth world para championships, Samuel McIntosh (Vic) opened his campaign in the heats of 400m T52 in a time of 1:06.80, with the 100m T52 to come.
