Emily Chapman Laing
Cranbourne Little Athletics Centre (CLAC) welcomed a very exciting guest over the weekend.
Paralympian and medallist Jaryd Clifford joined the kids to celebrate Championship Day on Saturday 18 March.
Cranbourne excelled in the championships, taking home an impressive 11 gold, eight silver and 18 bronze medals.
The league has surpassed state level with three athletes now running high in nationals.
This includes athlete Cayden Bell from the highly regarded multi-class group.
The multi-class program was established almost a decade ago.
According to the CLAC website, the class “provides athletes with a disability a space to compete [and] join and have fun”.
The multi-class athletes are “soaring in skill level and attainment”, participating in numerous events at the centre.
Jaryd is sponsored by supermarket giant Coles.
The partnership allows him to visit a variety of athletic hubs and offer inspiration to the members.
This is especially important for children who, like Jaryd, have obstacles to overcome.
“Having charity is perfect for us, because we get a larger multi-class group,” said CLAC president Holger Philipp.
The group certainly seemed enthralled by Jaryd’s presence as they gathered around him to have a chat.
“It’s pretty awesome to come back and get involved,” Jaryd said.
“When I started little athletics, there wasn’t this opportunity for para-athletes.
“So [CLAC] is one of the centres that’s actually paving the way and pioneering that, and that’s really important, I think, for sport, but I think also for how society sees disability and actually prioritising its inclusion.”
Jaryd took his time chatting to the multi-class children.
He said his goal is to show them that their athletic dreams can become a reality.
“I think it’s good for kids with disabilities to have other people with disabilities come and talk to them and show them that we are succeeding, because often our success isn’t publicised that well.
“It’s hard to have heroes if you can’t see them.”
Jaryd made his debut in 2016 at the Rio Paralympic games.
He was only 17-years-old.
He placed seventh in the men’s 1500m T13 and 5000 T13.
One of his races reached media attention everywhere, being recorded as “faster than its Olympic equivalent”.
Jaryd suffers from a congenital vision impairment.
He was diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration at age three.
The athlete has gone on to set world records for his time in the 2019 World Para Athletics Championship in Dubai, where he won gold.
Jaryd took home medals in each of his events at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.
He reflected on racing without an audience during the pandemic.
“We ran in an empty stadium in Tokyo,” he said.
“So when people say they actually watched the race, it’s still hard for me to associate that moment with people having watched it.”
He now looks forward to his events in the upcoming Paris games in 2024.
