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Alexa Leary’s endless energy and enthusiasm have combined to propel her to perfection in the women’s 100m freestyle S9 at La Défense Arena, breaking the world record she set just hours earlier to win Australia’s third swimming gold medal at Paris 2024.
Leary – who anchored the mixed 4x100m medley relay 34 points team to gold on Monday – never looked threatened in the final, clocking 59.53s, 0.07s faster than her heat time.
“I really just wanted to break the world record – and I did. I did it this morning but tonight was my show,” Leary said.
In her post-race interview with Nine, Leary revealed that her father Russell had sought the insights of a fortune teller as his daughter slowly recovered from a near-fatal cycling accident. Russell confirmed that ‘a spiritual’ had told him of a bright future for Alexa.
When asked about it, Leary said: “When I was in ICU and dad got a fortune teller and the fortune teller read that I want to go to the Paralympics and I’m here… I’m like ‘Whoah, I did it!’
“I’ve come so far in life, from being told three years ago I wouldn’t live. But I am. So, once I again, I did prove the world wrong. I’m walking and talking when we were told that I would never.
“I’m just like ‘Well done, Lex, you have come so very far’.”
Despite her outward self-confidence, Leary admitted she was nervous before the final.
“Like, I was honestly frightened to go out there, but I had to just put something in me and go ‘Come on, Lex, let’s get it. Let’s be so determined, passionate about what you want. Go out and get it’. And I did it.”
She attributed her success to her family.
“Honestly, it’s my whole family, my mum and dad, they’re the reason I’m here,” she said.
“They’re in the crowd, all of them there, they’re so uplifting. They fought so hard for me. That is a big, big reason why I’m here.
“My dad stopped working and my mum stopped, they were in that hospital with me for six months. Dad was at his knees every single day next to my bed.”
While Leary was once again the big story at the swimming, two other team members won medals. Ricky Betar won bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley SM14 in an Oceania record time. Betar suggested his focus on the medley had paid off.
“We’ve worked on IM for the past couple of months since the Trials,” he said.
“We just agreed to solely focus on IM. I think it’s shown. From our Trials to now, I think it was like a four second PB, so it was pretty good.”
Another team favourite who earned a medal was Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson, who won bronze in the men’s 50m breaststroke SB2.
“Over the moon,” he said. “I’m happy as punch with a bronze medal for Australia. I’m 35 years old, I’ve been to three Paralympics now and I’ve got four Paralympic medals, which is pretty special.
“There are athletes out there that have missed the team, let alone taking home a bronze medal, so to do it at 35 years old with my condition, diastrophic dysplasia, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Patterson said he had been swamped with messages. He is known for answering every message.
“Why do I answer back? I think, if someone’s going out of their way to say good luck or thank you or well done, or I love your comedy things or whatever, I think they deserve me going out of my way to say thanks. I love the support and I make sure I thank everyone.”
By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Published: 4 September 2024
