When Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Paralympic Games, Luke Bailey was there competing in a marathon. He has always wanted to return to the Japanese capital, and when better than for his Paralympic debut.
Luke, who has caudal regression syndrome and spina bifida, first began competing in Para-athletics after an introduction to wheelchair racing great Kurt Fearnley. From the moment that Luke sat in Kurt’s racing chair, Luke was sold. In 2016, he teamed up with Kurt’s long-time coach, Andrew Dawes, to work with him towards selection to the 2020 Australian Paralympic Team.
However, before Tokyo came November’s 2019 World Para-athletics Championships. While Luke had some practice competing internationally, including at the 2018 and 2019 World Para-athletics Grand Prix events in Nottwil, Switzerland, the World Championships were his best opportunity yet to take his sprints to the next level.
And that’s exactly what he did, finishing third in his men’s 100m T54 semi-final to automatically qualify for the final, and placing seventh in the final.
Luke was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games to finally make his return to Japan – this time as a Paralympic debutante. In his event, the men’s 100m T54, he placed 14th fastest overall with a time of 14.55 seconds, to finish in fifth in the first of three heats.
With his ultimate goal in sport being to win a Paralympic medal over 100m, Luke has a long way to go, but he is the ‘Start King’ for a reason, and with the support of some of the best in Paralympic sport, he looks set for a long and successful career in wheelchair racing.
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