Star swimmer Brenden Hall is hunting gold medals at the Rio Paralympics
SEVENTEEN years after a near fatal bout of chickenpox resulted in the amputation of his right leg, Brenden Hall is ready for a gold hunt.
SEVENTEEN years after a near fatal bout of chickenpox resulted in the amputation of his right leg, Brisbane swimmer Brenden Hall is in the US finishing preparations for another gold hunt at the Rio Paralympics next week.
Hall, 23, won two gold medals and a bronze at London four years ago and is one of the most inspiring stories in Australian sport, fighting back with astonishing performances in the pool and working every second week as a lifeguard with his younger brother Marcus at Kings Beach near Caloundra.
He is just one of the remarkable Queensland athletes leading the race for Paralympic success in Rio.
They include long-jumper Carlee Beattie, wheelchair rugby ace Ryan Scott, wheelchair basketballer Tige Simmons, para-triathlete Nic Beveridge and runner Torita Isaac.
Hall’s right leg was amputated when he was just six-years-old but that was not going to stop him from playing every sport he could at Petrie State School and Pine Rivers High.
“I was only a little kid but when I came to the realisation that everything had changed for me I wanted to get back in the water straight away to overcome the hurdles surrounding my disability,’’ said Hall, who is finishing training at Auburn University in Alabama before flying to Rio.
“I feel most at home and most able in the water. I ended up with severe injuries because of the chickenpox but swimming has given me so many opportunities. I was lucky I had a hell of a lot of support and I’ve been able to live life to the fullest. Now I’m at the point where I don’t even see what happened as a disability.’’
Read about brenden’s journey in Sunday’s agenda liftout
Originally published as Star swimmer Brenden Hall is hunting gold medals at the Rio Paralympics
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