Former Shelburne native Jackie Marciano won bronze in the men’s amputee 400-metres final at the 2011 Para PanAm Games in Guadalajara, Mexico on Monday, in a time of 57.13. Marciano was able to lean by Rob Brown of the United States to secure a podium finish. “I’m so happy," said Marciano, "I just saw at the end he was dying so I leaned and finished in third.”
The young athelete, who lost his leg in a train accident 13 years ago, is somewhat of a phenomenon, having taken up competitive running less than a year ago. Marciano was seen running on the back roads of Halifax by the national wheelchair racing coach, who introduced him to his current coach, Mike Duval. He runs with a special carbon fibre "flex foot" and has been tearing up the track since begining training in earnest nine months ago.
Jackie won two silver medals at the 2011 Canadian Championships in the 100-metres and 200-metres and will likely compete for Canada in the 2012 Paralympics in London, England. He competes in the javelin on Thursday and 200 metre race on Friday, where he will race against two other Canadian medal contenders.
