Australian wheelchair marathon racer and Paralympian, Madison de Rozario will return to the Gold Coast this year aiming to resume her gold medal-winning streak and with her sights set on taking out the CPL Wheelchair Marathon event for the third time.

The star wheelchair marathon racer who rose to glory after winning the women’s T54 1500m and T54 marathon at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will race on the Gold Coast again after a famous three-medal haul at last year’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, including T54 marathon gold in the stunning time of 1:38:11.

But she won’t have the fast and flat Gold Coast streets to herself against four of the best.

Seven-time Paralympian Christie Dawes will be back to defend her 2016 race record (1:43:45) while Jacqueline Godfrey will make her marathon debut alongside Auckland 2019 Wheelchair Marathon winner, Upper Coomera’s Natasha Price who hopes to stake a solid claim for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Gold Coaster, Sara-Ashlee Tait, is another strong contender.

The Australian representative paratriathlete brings to the start line the experience of being a three-time winner of the Gold Coast Wheelchair 15km and first across the line in the 2017 Gold Coast Wheelchair Marathon.

Four-time Paralympian and 2017 Gold Coast Wheelchair Marathon race winner Richard Colman is once again shaping up as a favourite in the five-strong men’s CPL Wheelchair Marathon race this year and will be keen to avenge his second placing in the most recent event in 2019.

He will be looking to establish an early lead with the likes of Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games T54 1500m bronze medallist Jake Lappin who is expected to produce a strong race on the familiar Gold Coast streets.

For Jake, it will all be good preparation as he is racing the T54 1500m and T54 marathon at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Another contender with international credentials is Kurt Fearnley protégé and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics track competitor Luke Bailey.

For the 2018 and 2019 World Para-athletics Grand Prix competitor this will be a massive step up in distance, but time and again he has proven he is up to the challenges of the sport.

Making his debut in the CPL Wheelchair Marathon, 2019 Gold Coast Wheelchair 15km winner and the youngest in the field, 19-year-old Cory Crombie, will challenge a well-credentialled field of senior competitors with a podium finish for the enthusiastic and determined Western Australian athlete not out of the question.

With the 15km race no longer contested, the inaugural CPL 10km Wheelchair Race will also take place on Sunday 3 July.

Four young athletes have thrown their helmets into the ring to be the inaugural titleholder including Samuel Rizzo, Jono Tang and Mikaela Dingley.

They’ll line up against the 2021 Gold Coast Young Citizen of the Year Elijah Palmer (18) who will take to the streets full of confidence after a solid training build up with renowned coach Garth Plank.