Alex Saffy, better known as the Bunbury Bullet, moved from South Africa to Western Australia in 2013. He was diagnosed with dyskinetic cerebral palsy as a child, after becoming sick at around a year old. Alex took up swimming but as his symptoms progressed, he was encouraged to try Para-swimming where he took up butterfly under his first coach Celia Kendall at the Bunbury Swimming Club. Alex qualified for the Paralympic team in 2021 after unofficially smashing the world record in the men’s 200m butterfly S9 by over five seconds but was unable to go to Tokyo because he hadn’t …
Read MoreAlex Saffy, better known as the Bunbury Bullet, moved from South Africa to Western Australia in 2013.
He was diagnosed with dyskinetic cerebral palsy as a child, after becoming sick at around a year old. Alex took up swimming but as his symptoms progressed, he was encouraged to try Para-swimming where he took up butterfly under his first coach Celia Kendall at the Bunbury Swimming Club.
Alex qualified for the Paralympic team in 2021 after unofficially smashing the world record in the men’s 200m butterfly S9 by over five seconds but was unable to go to Tokyo because he hadn’t been internationally classified.
2022 was a big year of international firsts and podium finishes for the West Australian.
He was selected to represent Australia at World Champs in Coimbra, Portugal where he placed seventh in the 200m IM (S10) and bronze in the 100m butterfly (S10). He was then selected to represent Australia in his first Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the 100m butterfly (S10) where he won a silver medal.
He claimed another bronze in the men’s 200m medley SM10 at his second world championships in Manchester in 2023.
Alex doesn’t let anything stand in his way, including his condition or continuing to challenge able-bodied athletes. He is certainly one to watch.
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