Canberra runner Michael Roeger has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the 1500 metres final at the para world championships after a protest threatened to rob him of a silver medal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Roeger was forced into a nervous wait in Dubai when he was disqualified after finishing second in the T46 final.
The Australian team lodged an appeal and a late-night knock at the door gave Roeger the news he had been waiting for: he was the second-fastest athlete in the world.
"It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster straight after the race," Roeger said on ABC.
"I knew there were two [incidents] on the last lap where we jostled and I thought that's what it was. I knew that I didn't impede anyone or get in anyone's day, so I thought it was rubbish.
"The process took for ages. I think about 1am [coach Philo Saunders] came to my room, lifted me up and said: 'you bloody legend, we've done it'."
Roeger has been juggling middle-distance races with marathon training after smashing the T46 world record at the London marathon earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Canberra wheelchair athlete Angie Ballard finished third in her heat of the T53 100 metres.
"There's always a few unknowns in your first time out, so I tried to sort out those," Ballard said. "So it's good to go through and get the first race out of the way."