Article by George Clarke, courtesy of The West Australian.
James Turner is lauding the influence of coach Iryna Dvoskina after a raceday letter helped him win the 100m Paralympic final (T36) on top of his 400m crown.
Turner, above, will return to Australia next week a double gold medallist after bursting out of the blocks at the Stade de France on Saturday to equal the Paralympic record with a time of 11.85sec.
Australia have won just three gold medals in athletics in Paris, with Turner providing two and long-jumper Vanessa Low the third. Success in the 100m meant a lot to Turner, who has been stewing on his second-place finish from Tokyo for the last three years. And he’s found that pre-race letters from Ukrainian coach Dvoskina have boosted his confidence.
Turner believes the letters have helped calm his nerves and ready him to hit the track fast.
“Redemption for me, but also vindication for my coach, Iryna. This is her 72nd major champs medal for Australia since 2003,” Turner said. “She’s so wonderful, she dedicates her whole life to athletics. She sent me her usual letter (this morning). She said that I’ve done all the work, the track will suit me and she knows I can do it.”
Turner reckons he barely slept before his 400m win earlier this week but Dvoskina’s calming influence helped pave his path to glory.
Her steadying presence has helped Turner in his build-up to the Games where he has been worried about the effects of a bout of glandular fever.
Of his two races, he argued the 100m and the need for a fast start had been affected the most by his brush with illness. “It was looking a bit doubtful there for a minute,” Turner said. “But the key today was just following my own race plan, not thinking about what the other athletes are doing. I still work with a psychologist too, every athlete needs to. To run 400m, you have to be a bit crazy, so that mental work is crucial.’’
Rheed McCracken clinched a bronze in the 800m (T34) and Reece Langdon won the same medal in the 1500m (T38).
Langdon had to leave his charge for the line late, the 28-year-old ousting Australia teammate Angus Hincksman for a spot on the podium.Australian team captain Curtis McGrath is remaining philosophical after failing to defend his va’a (VL3) crown and missing the podium altogether.
McGrath, who a day earlier at Vaires-sur-Marne had won gold in the 200m kayak single final (KL2), finished in fourth place in the 200m va’a race by 0.06secs.
