DE ROZARIO CHASING HISTORY WHILE MEN’S WHEELCHAIR MARATHON RIVALRY REIGNITES

Australian Paralympic champion Madison de Rozario will chase a slice of Gold Coast Marathon history when she returns in pursuit of a fifth Wheelchair Marathon crown.

De Rozario already stands as one of the event’s most decorated athletes and a victory would see her equal the all-time record of five Gold Coast Wheelchair Marathon wins, currently shared by pioneering male wheelchair racers Paul Bowes and Mike Nugent.

The multiple Paralympic medallist has long been one of the marquee stars of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon weekend and her return adds another compelling chapter to the rich history of wheelchair racing on the famous fast course.

While de Rozario chases history in the women’s event, the men’s race shapes as another fascinating showdown between Japanese star Kota Hokinoue and Australia’s Jake Lappin.

The pair have developed one of the event’s great modern rivalries over the past four years, regularly battling for supremacy on the Gold Coast streets.

Hokinoue claimed victory in 2023 before finishing runner-up in both 2024 and 2025, while Lappin won the race in 2022, finished second behind Hokinoue in 2023 and reversed the result to claim victory again in 2024.

Last year, however, both athletes were upstaged by the sensational performance of Sam Rizzo, who lit up the course with a blistering 1:31:11 to record the second fastest time in event history.

Only Australian wheelchair racing legend Kurt Fearnley has gone faster on the Gold Coast, producing his remarkable race record of 1:30:18 in 2016 in the lead-up to the Rio Paralympic Games.

With the Gold Coast course renowned as one of the fastest marathon circuits in the world, another high-speed battle is expected as some of the sport’s biggest names again converge on the iconic beachfront course.