BRISBANE: It began with another astonishing swim, followed by a reaction that was truly priceless.
Queensland swimmer Alexa Leary, an athlete who has captured the hearts of millions of Australians during both the Paris 2024 trials and the Paralympic Games, shattered her own world record in the S9 100m freestyle on Tuesday.
As she powered through the water on the second day of the Australian Swimming Championships at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, Leary posted a time of 59.22 seconds in the heats of the multi-class 100m freestyle.
Though she missed her newly established world record by just a tenth of a second in the final, any day that involves a world record and a national title is certainly a remarkable one.
Leary’s time of 59.22 not only surpassed her previous world record, but it also secured her the gold medal at the Paris Games.
On that memorable day, the Sunshine Coast athlete had broken her own world record twice, finishing the heats in 59.60 and the final in 59.53.
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As Australians have come to know and love, Leary doesn’t just deliver outstanding performances in the pool.
She also provides unforgettable reactions.
After her heats on Tuesday, the 23-year-old expressed her delight in a delightful manner when informed she’d set a new world record.
The moment was captured in a video shared on Swimming Australia’s Instagram account.
“I’m not entirely sure [what my time was], but I believe it was a good one!” Leary said, beaming with joy.
“You know it was faster than your time in Paris?” asked the person filming.
“Really? Did I just break my record? Yes!” Leary exclaimed, her face glowing with astonishment and happiness.
Alexa Leary celebrating her world record achievement, with the Paralympic champion’s memorable reaction inset. Delly Carr/Swimming Australia
“Did I really? Where’s Jon [her coach Jon Bell]?” she asked, eager to confirm her record-breaking swim.
The video then showed Leary discovering her time. Her face lit up, followed by an ecstatic display of fist pumps.
“Yes! That’s some impressive back-end speed as well! Not too shabby!”
Leary is a fighter.
She has demonstrated tremendous resilience after enduring a horrific bike accident that changed her life.
The crash resulted in a permanent traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet she has gone on to become a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, consistently smashing world records and winning over the hearts of Australians.
Few athletes in the realm of Australian sport are as marketable as Leary, known affectionately as “Lex”. Fresh from her sensational Paris campaign, she even took a lap of honour ahead of the AFL grand final and dazzled at the Melbourne Cup as a Lexus ambassador.
“Breaking that world record felt amazing, and I was confident I could do it again,” Leary said after Tuesday’s final.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work since Paris, so I told myself, ‘Come on, Lex. You’ve got to bring something home’.
“I’ve really concentrated on improving my back-end speed with my coach Jon, so during that last 50m I was pushing myself hard.
“I was just a tenth of a second off [the world record], which stings a bit, but now I need to really commit and get it next time.
“Every day I set new challenges for myself, especially in swimming.”
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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