Representing The Mid North Coast: Luke’s Close Call In Tokyo

The moment we were all waiting for, Wingham’s own Luke Bailey has raced in Japan!

Locals of the Mid-North Coast were steadily looking forward to the 2020 (21) Tokyo Paralympic Games to support two homegrown athletes that joined the Australian team.

With runner  James Turner bagging gold on the track, the attention turned to 23-year old Luke Bailey, who qualified for the T54 100m wheelchair sprint and was hoping to make the podium. Ranked 7th in the world already, he had high hopes.

“I’m over the moon because, obviously, it’s my first Paralympic Games, so I’m excited my dream’s come true,” Bailey said to ABC news.

Unluckily, it wasn’t the result he wanted, finishing fifth in the qualifying heats. Thailand’s Athiwat Paeng-Nuea came first, with Cambodia and China finishing second and third.

Keep in mind, that Paeng-Nuea finished in 14.0 seconds, and Luke recorded 14.55!

He literally missed out by half a second!

Despite the unwanted result, he’s still a winner to us.

Jayce caught Luke for a chat just prior to his Tokyo departure, you can hear it here- https://soundcloud.com/user-377596040/luke-bailey-on-max

Bailey made the final at the World Championships in Dubai two years ago, where he finished seventh.

Determined to look even beyond Tokyo, the announcement of the Olympics and Paralympics in Brisbane in 2032 has sparked Luke to keep racing.

“I’ll be 32 by then and I hope I’m still competing.There’s another Paralympics in between as well as the world championships and Commonwealth Games, so hopefully my body will hold out” He told the Manning River Times.

To hear Jayce’s first chat with Luke on the MAX 1073 brekky show, and to find out the origin of his nickname, click here- https://soundcloud.com/user-377596040/luke-bailey

Written by Jayce Flaxman