Proud dad cheers his daughter to Paralympic gold three years after he was told she would not survive injuries from horrific bike crash
Three years after watching his daughter suffer a near-fatal bike crash, Russell Leary was the proudest Aussie in Paris last night as she won a Paralympic gold medal against all medical odds.
When the Paralympic Games were held in Tokyo, Alexa Leary was unaware as she lay recovering from a life-threatening bike crash.
Three years later, she delivered an unforgettable performance at Paris’s La Defense Arena, anchoring Australia to gold in the 34-point mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Her journey to this triumphant moment began with a devastating accident shortly before the Tokyo Games.
Doctors had advised her parents, Russ and Belinda, to prepare for the worst after Alexa fell off her bike at 70 km/h.
Once a promising triathlete, Alexa spent months in intensive care, battling severe injuries.
On eight occasions, her parents prepared to say goodbye as she fought for her life.
The accident occurred in July 2021, just outside Noosa. Alexa was cycling, with her father, Russell, close behind.
At high speed, she clipped the bike ahead, flying over the handlebars and landing on her head. She suffered multiple injuries, including broken ribs, a fractured skull, and a punctured lung.
Alexa Leary had to learn how to walk again after her horrific bike accident that almost claimed her life
It has been an incredible three-year journey for Alexa who used swimming as a way to recover
A passing doctor helped her breathe, while another cyclist called for emergency assistance.
Alexa was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where she underwent critical surgeries.
Despite doctors’ grim prognosis, Alexa began to breathe independently after the ventilator was removed.
Her parents remained steadfast by her side during her 111-day hospital stay as she learned to walk again and adjust to permanent brain damage.
Alexa’s future in cycling was uncertain, so she redirected her athletic talents to swimming, a sport she knew from triathlon training.
Three years after the crash, she defied the odds once more, securing a gold medal for her team.
Proud dad Russell cheers Alexa home in the anchor leg of the relay at the Paris Paralympics
Leary was stunned to learn she had anchored the medley team home to victory
Leary celebrates with her teammates after her astonishing swim to seal the gold medal
‘Alexa Leary, take a bow,’ Olympic swimmer Cate Campbell said during commentary.
Trailing in fourth place and 6.28 seconds behind the Netherlands, Alexa entered the pool for the final leg with determination.
As she reached the first 50 meters, Alexa propelled Australia into second position.
At the turn, she had reduced the Dutch lead to 2.94 seconds. In a thrilling final stretch, she overtook the leader, Thijs van Hofweggen, to clinch victory.
Her teammates, Jesse Aungles and Tim Hodge, swam the opening legs, while Callum Simpson and Keira Stephens contributed in the heat, sharing the podium glory.
‘I was watching us, and I was like, ‘come on, come on’… I was like, ‘I’m going to have to weapon myself out here, we’ve got to take home the gold,” Alexa said.
‘I knew I had to catch (van Hofweggen), I’m going to have to overtake him. I could see him, and I was like, ‘I just have to take this win.’ I just had to.’
Her determination paid off as she overtook her competitor to secure the gold medal.
The win marked Australia’s 12th swimming medal at the Games.
Fellow competitor Emily Beecroft expressed her amazement, saying, ‘I’m still in shock. Coming into tonight, I knew it was going to be so close, but I was honestly not expecting to win. It’s unbelievable… She (Leary) was unbelievable.’
