Australian Swimmer Alexa Leary wins second Paralympic gold three years after horror bike accident

Three years ago, Alexa Leary was involved in a near fatal crash while training on the Sunshine Coast in 2021.

Now, the 23-year-old Aussie has broken a world record as she won her first individual Paralympic gold medal on day seven of the Paris Paralympics.

The Queenslander set a new women’s 100m freestyle record when she won her final, touching the wall at 59.53 seconds.

This is an incredible achievement, especially considering the severity of her accident.

On the 17th of July 2021, the young triathlete was training on the Sunshine Coast when she collided with a bike in front of her at 75 km/h, which sent her flying over the handlebars in the air and landing on her head. 

Leary had broken her ribs, skull, scapula, and leg and had also suffered catastrophic brain injuries. She then spent two weeks in the ICU at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where her family was shockingly advised to say their final goodbyes. 

Leary’s life support was turned off, and extraordinarily, Leary began breathing by herself for the first time since her accident. 

This marked the beginning of her recovery, where she has gone on to represent Australia at the 2024 Paralympics, where she has already won gold medals in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay and in the Women's 100m Freestyle.