Alexa Leary shines in Paris
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Alexa Leary has concluded her maiden Paralympic Games campaign with an astonishing two golds, a silver, and three records: World, Paralympic, and Oceania.
Her first gold came on the heels of a 6th place finish in the 50m Freestyle S10 final. In the 4x100m Medley Relay – 34 points, Leary’s powerful freestyle anchor leg propelled Australia past reigning world record holders the Netherlands to the top of the podium and into a Paralympic record.
In the 100m Freestyle S9 the following day, she set a new world record of 59.60 on the way to winning her heat by more than 3 seconds. But the Australian star still had more to give in the evening final, bettering that record even further to 59.53 and earning her first individual gold medal.
She capped her campaign by kicking off Australia’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay – 34 points, where the team won a silver medal and set a new Oceania record of 4:01.90.
Only three years ago, Leary was in ICU with a traumatic brain injury sustained in a high-speed cycling crash that obliterated her short-term memory and left her with weakness on the right side. She has not just defied the pronouncements that she would never walk or talk again, but is continuing to push the limits of what she can do.
She said, “It just makes me want to go even harder at the next Paralympics to see what else I’ve got.”
The Pho3nix Athlete Program aims to assist athletes from any nation and in any individual Olympic or Paralympic sport to compete at their best on the world’s biggest stage, fulfilling the Pho3nix Foundation’s mandate to inspire and assist future generations to grow through sport. With her feats Leary will have inspired many, embodying the Pho3nix mantra: Together We Rise.
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