Paralympic champion Madison de Rozario eyes third Sydney Marathon win on 'hardest' course

Paralympic champion Madison de Rozario is gearing up for a significant challenge at the Sydney Marathon, an event she has conquered twice before. Despite its picturesque route from North Sydney to the Opera House, de Rozario describes the 42-kilometer course as the most difficult she has encountered.

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It's quite bizarre doing a marathon through parts of Sydney that you've hung out in very different contexts. Like going down Oxford Street, I'm like, I've been here, but not doing this. So it's quite a cool experience to do. And then on the other hand, it's such a tricky course that I dread it. Of all the majors, it's the hilliest. I find it the most difficult.

"Of all the majors, it's the hilliest. I find it the most difficult," she told ABC Sport. De Rozario expressed a mix of excitement and trepidation about racing on familiar Sydney streets in a competitive context, calling it a "cool experience" but also acknowledging her dread of the demanding course.

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I'm dying to race at home in Australia and Sydney, and then also I'm like 'oh, but does it have to be just the hardest 42 kilometres that we have?'

Her preparation comes after a deeply emotional Paris Paralympics, where she carried the Australian flag at the opening ceremony shortly before learning of her father's death. She went on to win silver and bronze medals in the marathon and 5,000m, respectively. De Rozario described the period as an "emotional roller coaster" and the Sydney Marathon as one of the most "incredible… most emotional races I've ever done."

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That was one of the most emotional roller coaster two weeks of my life.

Last year, de Rozario opted out of the Sydney Marathon's debut as a World Major event, a decision she found difficult to watch. However, she recognized the significance of seeing international wheelchair racers compete in Australia. Now, fully focused on marathon distances after her track career, she is ready to tackle the Sydney course once again, aiming for her third victory.

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I think it was just the way to round out the Paris Paralympics, and then Sydney Marathon is one of the most incredible … most emotional races I've ever done in my life. And so I think that'll always be so special to me, to come into the Opera House [at the finish line] and have that moment.