Alexa Leary

Started: She began training with Para swimming coach Jon Bell in 2022. (swimming.org.au, 17 Jul 2023) Reason: She was a competitive triathlete who dreamed of competing at the Olympic Games before a road cycling accident resulted in a traumatic brain injury. "Triathlon was my everything. I was in a big accident. I don't remember it. When I was in ICU, apparently I said I want to go to the Paralympics. I just wanted to swim. I'm a pusher. I want to go, go, go." (smh.com.au, 21 Apr 2023) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (sunshinecoastnews.com.au, 06 Dec 2023) Awards: In 2023 she was named Emerging Athlete of the Year at the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS] Sport Performance Awards in Melbourne, Australia. (sunshinecoastnews.com.au, 06 Dec 2023) Additional Info: PASSION FOR MUSIC She believes she gained a new awareness of music after recovering from the injuries she sustained in a road cycling accident in 2021. "I upset my brain very badly. I got a traumatic brain injury, right? But in the back bit of your brain is music, and hyperness of music. I went so far with music out of the hospital. I got a pair of DJ decks and I made the best songs off my DJ decks. Not gonna lie, everyone wants me to make a SoundCloud [mix for them]. I think I will. Yeah, I love music. I don't stop moving I just love a dance." (abc.net.au, 12 Jun 2024)