Lauren Parker’s triathlon save earns Australia seventh Paralympic gold medal | Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

When the last Paralympic Games were held in Tokyo, Alexa Leary probably had little idea they were happening as she recovered from a near-fatal cycling crash. Three years later, at La Défense Arena in Paris, Leary set the anchor point of her life by claiming gold for Australia in the 34-point mixed 4x100m medley relay.

Trailing the Netherlands by 6.28 seconds when she replaced Emily Beecroft in the pool for the final leg, Leary powered through her first 50m to move Australia into second place. By the time the 23-year-old turned at the wall, she had cut the Dutch lead to 2.94 seconds. And in the final stretch, Leary passed Thijs van Hofweggen to secure the win.

Jesse Aungles and Tim Hodge swam the first legs, while Callum Simpson and Keira Stephens, who performed in the heat, also earned a place on the podium.

“I looked at us and thought, ‘Come on, come on’ … I thought, ‘I’ve got to arm myself here, we’ve got to take home the gold,'” Leary said. “I knew I had to pass (Van Hofweggen), I had to pass him. I could see him and I thought, ‘I’ve just got to take this win.’ I just had to do it. He was actually a little bit ahead of me by 15 meters, but I passed him. I just had to do it.”

The victory gave Australia its 12th swimming medal at the Games. In the crowd to witness Leary’s first Paralympic gold medal were parents Russ and Belinda. Shortly before the Tokyo Games, doctors had told Leary’s parents that they had to prepare to say goodbye after their daughter fell from her bike at 70 km/h.

Leary was once considered a promising triathlete, but spent several months in intensive care and returned to competitive swimming. Three years later, Leary defied expectations again and won gold.

“I’m still in shock,” Beecroft said. “Going into tonight I knew it was going to be so close, but I honestly didn’t expect to win. “It’s unbelievable… She (Leary) was unbelievable.”