Alexa Leary has been prevented from continuing her amazing comeback from a life-shattering brain injury at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
The 24-year-old was set to make her Comm Games debut when the event begins in Scotland in July, but a rule change has ruined those plans.
Leary – who won two golds and a silver in the pool at the 2024 Paralympics – has been reclassified from the S9 category to S10, which is a faster division for athletes with less severe impairments.
The only S10 sprint event for swimmers at the Commonwealth Games is the 200 metre individual medley, which Leary does not compete in.
It’s a disappointing setback for the former triathlete, whose story of survival after a horror bike accident in 2021 has won her a legion of fans Down Under.
Leary fell off her bike while travelling at 70km/h as part of triathlon training on the Sunshine Coast in July 2021.
Alexa Leary (pictured) won’t be able to continue her incredible comeback from a brain injury at the Commonwealth Games in July
The 24-year-old (pictured at the Australian Swimming Trials in 2024) has been reclassified ahead of the event in Scotland
A horror cycling accident that left her with a life-altering brain injury couldn’t stop Leary from winning gold at the 2024 Paralympics (pictured)
She was flown by a LifeFlight helicopter to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital where she received intensive treatment for a severe traumatic brain injury.
The effects of her ‘invisible disability’ still impact her daily life, more than four years after the crash.
‘All my brain connections have been shattered and so it’s really hard for me – sometimes I wake up and I don’t know where I am,’ Leary said.
‘Having brain damage is so hard, every day, living with it.’
After spending 111 days in hospital and three months undergoing outpatient rehabilitation, Leary set a new goal: to become a Paralympian.
She went on to earn a spot on Australia’s Paralympic swimming team for the 2024 Paris Games, where she won two gold medals and one silver.
Leary has also won three World Championship golds since the crash.
Despite her absence, Australia has named a strong squad of 18 in the para swimming squad for the Commonwealth Games.
Headlined by Games gold medallists Tim Hodge and Col Pearse, who further cemented their status with standout performances at Birmingham 2022, the squad also includes Dolphins veteran Lakeisha ‘Lucky’ Patterson, taking to the pool at the Commonwealth Games for a fourth time.
Patterson is one of Australia’s most decorated swimmers and is back at the pool where she made her Dolphins debut as a 15-year-old.
