Danielle Aitchison has made a dream start to her first Paralympics, capturing a silver medal.
The 20-year-old, with two uncommon types of cerebral palsy (athetoid and ataxia), finished second in the women’s 200m T36 final on Sunday in a time of 29.88 seconds. Chinese world record holder Shi Yiting took gold in 28.21 sec, equalling her world record time from 2019.
Aitchison, who hails from Patetonga in the Waikato, was more than a second quicker than bronze medallist Yanina Martinez of Argentina in 30.96.
Shi again showed her brilliance in this event, making a flying start and never looked back on her way to a comfortable win.
It was a composed run from Aitchison, who was steady throughout and backed up her pleasing heat form.
Aitchison had a wide smile across her face as she sat on the track after crossing the finish line, reflecting on the stellar result.
“I feel so happy to actually be here and do all the work to get a reward and a silver medal it makes me so happy to finally get everything I wanted – so cool,” Aitchison said.
“I’m just so happy with how I ran and to know I got the silver medal at the end of it. It’s so worth it. I love to run fast and sprinting. I feel so free and to get a silver medal that’s just the icing on the cake.”
Her silver medal performance takes New Zealand’s medal haul to four, winning two golds and two silvers thus far.
Aitchison had the second quickest time in Saturday’s heats, winning the opening heat in 30.12sec. Only Shi was faster with a season best 29.37 in the second heat.
The Kiwi’s last international meet was the 2019 world para athletics championships in Dubai and only a world record (28.21sec by Shi) denied her a gold medal in the 200m there.
Aitchison, who is also deaf, but can hear with the aid of cochlear implants, sometimes struggled to walk as a child.
Her journey to the Paralympics has been an inspiring one.
She stopped sport in her teens and was pulled out of classes at high school undergoing physiotherapy to build up the strength in her muscles, increasing her ability to walk and run.
At the 2017 Halberg Junior Disability Games, Aitchison decided to get back into athletics with sprinting shorter distances appealing.
Aitchison has improved her running with coach Alan McDonald after joining the Hamilton City Hawks athletics club in 2018.
From there she’s made impressive strides, winning silver in the women’s 200m T36 at the 2019 world para athletics championships and finishing fourth in the 100m. Her success at the Paralympics has added to her rapidly growing list of achievements.
Aitchison will race in the women’s 100m T36 heats on Wednesday (2.15pm NZ time) with the final later that night.
