One of Australia’s bright young stars, Madison de Rozario, has made the cut and will feature at the London 2012 Paralympics.

At only 18, this will be de Rozario’s second Games. She returned from Beijing four years ago with a silver medal she won with the 4 x 100m Women’s Wheelchair Relay team.

Though touted by many to be the next ‘Louise Sauvage’, Madison says she’s honoured to be described so, “…but there will always be only one Louise Sauvage. She’s been so amazing.”

In fact, NSW based, nine-time paralympic gold medallist Sauvage is de Rozario’s coach. The geographical distance between Sauvage and de Rozario has its downsides, but Madison’s dedication to her sport has helped ensure her place in the London bound team.

But the road has not been easy; in 2009 de Rozario underwent major back surgery and has been injury plagued since. Even her TEE exams had to be contemplated lying down on a bed.

In 2010, though under fit, de Rozario competed at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) Junior Word Championships in the Czech Republic in an attempt to qualify for the IPC World Championships in New Zealand. She did qualify, and in doing so destroyed the world’s best junior wheelchair racers with six gold medals from six events and picked up three underage world records in the process.

The highlight of 2012 so far was Madison’s victory at the prestigious international Oz Day 10K along the Rocks in Sydney. With Kurt Fearnley, one of her heroes, the pair secured an all Australian victory.

Madison is currently in Switzerland on another phase of her vigorous preparation for the games in London in August.