Para-canoeist Curtis McGrath wants to lead Australia’s Paralympic team with distinction before taking stock of his career after competing in two Games in the space of three years.
Alongside seven-time Paralympian Angie Ballard, McGrath will co-captain a 152-strong team of Australian athletes who are competing across 17 of the 22 available sports.
The former combat engineer won his first gold (KL2) in Rio in 2016 and then claimed two (KL2 and VL3) at Tokyo in the delayed 2020 Games.
“Rio was about my recovery, finding my identity and Tokyo was about high performance,” McGrath said.
“This time around it’s about something new, it’s about being a leader and a senior member of this team and helping the Paralympic team move through and and go beyond just these Games.”
Now 36, McGrath last month became a father for the first time and said he was keen to take a sabbatical after Paris.
“I haven’t made the decision to call time,” McGrath said.
“I’ll be doing a bit of a turn-off before the next cycle.
“I’m getting older so I need to make sure that the balance of my life away from sport is thought about.
“It’s difficult but at the same time I enjoy what I do and I love representing Australia.”
McGrath’s performance in the single and double paddle events helped Australia finish eighth overall in Tokyo on the way to claiming 21 gold medals.
Paris provides the Australia co-captain and the likes of Madison de Rozario the chance to add to their already sizable hauls of silverware.
But it also offers a glimpse into the future, first to Los Angeles and then on to Australia in eight years’ time when Brisbane will host the Paralympics.
McGrath’s fellow para-canoeist Dylan Littlehales is tipped to maintain Australia’s kayaking prowess even if Australia’s co-captain does decide to focus on his family.
“He (Littlehales) is one to watch for the podium, he got second at the world championships and missed out by the finest of margins,” McGrath said.
T54 athlete Sam Rizzo is another rising star who looks set to announce himself to a wider Australian public in 2024.
The Victorian, who smashed Kurt Fearnley’s Australian 1500m record by four seconds earlier this year, looms as a strong medal hope as he competes across 800m, 1500m and the 5000m.
“I think (here in Paris) we’ve got a really good opportunity to get kids involved in para-sport and hopefully we can develop some really good athletes heading into Brisbane,” Rizzo said.
Rising wheelchair basketball ace Eithen Leard shapes as a difference-maker for the Rollers as they hunt a return to the podium, while Telaya Blacksmith, a 16-year-old T20 400m runner and long jumper appears a star in the making.
“I’m very excited, I’ve been getting really hyped up,” Blacksmith said.
The teenager becomes the 16th known Indigenous athlete to feature for Australia at a Paralympic Games and is part of a four-person strong group of athletes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background in Paris.
The majority of the Australian team has been based in the Paralympic Village while staff have been spread across two neighbouring hotels in the northern suburbs of the French capital.
The Paralympic opening ceremony is set to take place on Wednesday evening (local time) at the iconic Champs-Elysees before the Games get underway on Thursday.
Australia’s most likely medal hope on the first day will come from the swimming pool or the velodrome.
There are other Australian highlights to watch out for on day one, including the opening men’s wheelchair rugby clash with reigning gold medallists Great Britain and the boccia pool games get underway.
