As the nation kicked its heels under lockdown in 2021,Australian audiences tuned into the Tokyo Paralympics in huge numbers and were captivated as athletes won medals and shared their stories.

De Rozario believes the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics could be a game-changer in the same way this year’s Women’s World Cup might be for women’s football.

“I think it’ll only take one more catalyst Games for Australia to do it … I think in 2032,” De Rozario said. “If we really nail that and we use the lead-in and the broadcast partners in Paris and Los Angeles to speak about the Paralympics in the way they deserve to be,as their own identity … I think that fight we’re having around language and perception could be over by 2032 if our partners nail it.

“The culture in Japan around disability is not great. There is a lot of work to be done with that. It breaks my heart a bit that there was such a successful Games there,with world records and close events and an unreal athletic performance,and it didn’t have spectators.”

De Rozario says she is likely to just compete in the marathon at Paris 2024 - set to be shown on Channel Nine,the publisher of this masthead - having also won medals in the 800m and 1500m distances.

After three attempts in 2008,2012 and 2016,De Rozario finally picked up Paralympic gold medals in Tokyo.

“The fear around retiring without winning a gold medal has gone,” De Rozario said. “That was definitely a big part of my career for 17 years leading into Tokyo. It leaves space to do other things with your career.”

Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus,who has just returned from a successful world championships campaign in Fukuoka,says Australian sport is on a high.

“The runway from the cricket and the netball (world title) and then the swimming and then the Women’s World Cup ... I feel like sport is this drug that Australians are living off at the moment,” Titmus said.

Paralympics Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee have announced a new partnership deal with Harvey Norman for Paris 2024.

“It’s impactful,” De Rozario said. “We have our job as athletes out there and I think we spend so much of our time head down in our little bubble doing what we have to do in our day-to-day training. No one sees what we do on the world stage without the support of the partners that we have. They make such a difference in the journey we have.”

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