Aussie gold medallist withdraws on eve of Paralympics to be with dying mother
An Australian athlete has withdrawn from the Aussie Paralympic team just hours before the event is set to begin.
Heath Davidson, a 37-year-old wheelchair tennis player from the Mornington Peninsula, announced on Monday night that he would not be making the trip to Paris for the Games as he will spend time with his mother who has been moved into palliative care.
Davidson announced the news in a statement on Instagram, explaining his reasoning behind the "difficult decision".
"I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2024 Paralympics. My mum has been admitted into palliative care and I want to be here at home with her during this time," he wrote.
The Aussie Paralympic team was quick to throw their support behind Davidson, with Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin saying, “Heath is a much-loved member of the Australian Paralympic Team. He adds spark to the Village with his quick wit and cheery personality.”
“We’ll miss having him here in Paris, but we all understand that family comes first and we know he’s made the right decision for himself and his family. We want Heath to know that every member of the team is wrapping their arms around him virtually from Paris.”
The 2024 Games in Paris would've been Davidson's third Paralympics, after won gold in the wheelchair tennis doubles alongside Dylan Alcott at the Rio De Janeiro Games in 2016, with the pair then backing it up with a silver medal in Tokyo 2021.
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