Martina Caironi of Italy (1216) crosses the line to win gold in the Women's 100m T42 Final at the London Paralympics
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Silver medallist Kelly Cartwright of Australia, gold medallist Martina Caironi of Italy and bronze medallist Jana Schmidt of Germany pose on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 100m T42 Final at the Paralympic Games in London
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In 2008, within one year of having part of her left leg amputated following a motorbike accident, Caironi was taking part in para-athletics.
She fired out a warning shot to her rivals that she meant serious business at London 2012 when she broke the 100m world record at May’s BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, Great Britain. Her time of 16.25 was just 0.06 seconds faster than the previous record.
In June she lowered the world record further at the 2012 IPC Athletics European Championships in the Netherlands. In winning gold she became the first athlete in her class to run under 16 seconds (15.89). She also added a long jump bronze medal to her tally.
At London 2012 she fulfilled her dream by taking 100m Paralympic gold in front of 80,000 people beating Australia’s world champion Kelly Cartwright. In winning she also broke the world record for a third time in a matter of months, this time posting 15.87.
The big question now is whether she can take Cartwright’s world title too when the two of them meet at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France.
