- Alexa Leary sweeps the 100m freestyle S9 final
- She set another world record, her first individual gold at the Paralympic Games
- A 2021 bicycle accident left a 23-year-old swimming star with brain damage
Australian swimming star Alexa Leary has claimed a Paralympic gold medal in emphatic fashion and also fulfilled a prophecy made by a fortune teller three years ago.
After setting a world record time of 59.60 in the morning session at La Defense Arena in Paris, Leary went even further and took gold in the 100m freestyle (S9) in a blistering time of 59.53.
The gold was Leary’s first individual Paralympic medal and came after she had single-handedly led Australia’s 100m relay team to a commanding first place finish two days earlier.
The achievement marked another incredible milestone in the increasingly rich chapter of what the 23-year-old calls her “second life.”
Leary fell off his bike in a near-fatal accident in 2021, causing brain damage and several long-term injuries.
More than once, doctors told her parents, Russ and Belinda, that they should prepare to say goodbye to their daughter.
Searching for answers and hope, Leary’s parents turned to a clairvoyant who predicted that the swimmer would go on to become a Paralympic gold medalist.
“It’s really amazing that when he was in the ICU, my dad got a fortune teller,” Leary explained.
Australia’s Alexa Leary celebrates after winning gold in the S9 freestyle final at the Paris Paralympic Games
The gold was Leary’s first individual Paralympic medal and came after she had single-handedly led the Australian 100-metre relay team to first place two days earlier.
Alexa Leary had to learn to walk again after her horrific bike accident in 2021 that nearly cost her life.
It’s been an incredible journey for Alexa, who used swimming as a way to recover from the accident.
‘The fortune teller read that I wanted to go to the Paralympics, and now that I’m here, I think: ‘Wow, I’ve done it.’
Leary was beside himself with excitement as he revelled in having claimed gold in world record time.
And there was almost a second Australian medal in Leary’s career, as Emily Beecroft missed out on bronze by finishing fourth.
However, there were two bronze medals won for Australia in the pool on Wednesday night.
Twenty-year-old Ricky Betar led his 200m individual medley (S14) event for the first 100m but fell back to finish third.
This was in contrast to Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson, who moved up to third place towards the end of his 50m breaststroke (SB2) to claim his second bronze of the Games.
Patterson, 35, was adamant about his desire to continue competing until the 2032 Games in Brisbane and catch his white whale.
“Unless something else comes up, like Mercedes offering me a (F1) contract, I’ll be there in 2032,” he said.
‘I have one goal left and that is the gold medal. Who knows if I will ever get it, but I will go out and die trying.’