The inside story of Alex Leary’s accident and Paralympic success
Three years ago Alexa Leary’s family were told she would never walk again. Now she’s on top of the world after one of the great comebacks in human history. See the story and videos behind her world record breaking performances.
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Alexa Leary’s father says it’s been “truly unreal” watching her win gold, break the world record, and create “sporting history” in the Paris Paralympics – after being told just three years ago that if she lived she’d never walk again.
Queensland’s new golden girl has won her second gold medal in the individual 100m freestyle gold and broken a world record with a time of 59.53 seconds.
Celebrating gold and a smashing a world record was a “surreal” moment for the Learys after the tragic bike crash which nearly claimed her life.
On July 17, 2021, Alexa Leary, better known as Lex, was out training in Pomona when she clipped the wheel of another rider causing her to lose control of her bike and was placed in an induced coma.
She was riding at 70km/h and landed on her head.
The now 23-year-old suffered major injuries including a fractured scapula, shoulder blade, wrist, ribs, a collapsed lung, serious nerve damage, significant memory loss and reduced mobility to the right side of her body.
After 74 days at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, on September 24, Alexa was deemed well enough to leave to attend the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, known as BIRU at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba.
By that stage she was talking, had regained some movement, recognised everyone who came to visit her, loved listening to her favourite songs, and perhaps most impressive of all, had kept her wicked sense of humour about all that happened to her.
Covid, along with BIRU’s strict policies on limited visitation so their patients can concentrate on their recovery, meant that she took most of those steps without her family beside her.
THE MOMENT ALEXA LEARY CAME HOME AFTER HORROR CRASH
On November 4, Leary finally returned home to a front door festooned with photos and well wishes, and to the delight of her siblings – Ashtyn, Jorja, Madison, Paige, Max, and Jack, (the Learys are a blended family with both Belinda and Russell bringing children from previous unions into their marriage, before having Alexa, Max and Jack together).
Also welcoming her home was her then boyfriend of 2½ years.
Her inspirational story soon flooded social media.
Started by a friend of Leary’s sister Madison on the Gold Coast, the “Move For Lex” Instagram page and hashtag grew into a fundraising phenomenon.
Hundreds of thousands of people supported the cause, including footballers like Johnathan Thurston, Olympic triathlete Ashleigh Gentle and rock legend Jimmy Barnes, all of whom have popped up on the Move for Lex Instagram page to pledge their support.
The idea behind Move For Lex is a simple one – get moving for those people who can’t, and raise some money along the way. All funds raised go back to the RBWH.
Working with the RBWH Foundation, the Leary family then created a program to support families with loved ones in the ICU called WeCU.
It offers travel and accommodation allowances, as well as finance for refurbishing the ICU waiting rooms and creating a concierge service offering social worker and other support for those with loved ones in the ICU. Money also went to the neurosurgery ward for new equipment.
A year after the nightmare crash and Leary was already back in the pool and a part of the Swimming Australia Para National Development Squad.
Back in July 2022, Leary told this publication it was great to be back in the pool.
“I’ll be moving to the Gold Coast soon to be with my coach and I’m going to push myself as I want to win gold for Australia at the Paralympics,” Leary said.
DAD ‘CRYING FOR THREE YEARS’ FOR ALEXA
She lives with permanent brain damage and weakness down the right side of her body as a result of the incident.
Not only did Leary survive, but she has continued to defy the odds and channelled her indisputable natural athleticism into swimming.
Her adoring and dedicated father Russell Leary said he’s been crying for three years and it just never stops.
“It’s all been something you’d never believe,” Russ said.
“It’s so surreal, especially halfway through the relay race we thought if they were to get a medal it would be near impossible.
“Then watching her just storm home was crazy and it gave her great confidence for the 100m.”
His faith in his daughter never wavered, not even for a moment.
“We knew she had her hands full as there’s plenty of great swimmers against her but she really is just incredible,” Russ said.
“A gold is amazing but a world record is incomprehensible.
“Three years ago I stood over her hospital bed and we honestly didn’t know if she would live or die.
“Then she got through that and it was a matter of will she ever walk or talk again and now she’s created swimming and sporting history.
“They’re calling the relay and 100m effort some of the greatest swims of all time so it’s truly unreal.”
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Originally published as The inside story of Alex Leary’s accident and Paralympic success
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