‘World Hold On’: Alexa Leary powers to Paralympic gold and world record

High-octane house music has propelled rising Australian swim star Alexa Leary to a Paralympic gold medal and fulfilled a prophecy set out by a fortune teller three years ago.

After setting a 59.60 world record in the morning session heat at La Defense Arena in Paris, Leary went one better to claim gold in the 100-metre freestyle S9 with a time of 59.53.

The gold was Leary’s first individual Paralympic medal and came after she had single-handedly carried Australia’s 100m relay team to an emphatic first-place finish two days earlier.

The achievement marked another incredible milestone in the increasingly rich chapter of what the 23-year-old terms her “second life”.

Leary fell off her bike in a near-fatal accident in 2021, leaving her with brain damage and several long-term injuries.

More than once, doctors informed her parents, Russ and Belinda, they should prepare to say goodbye to their daughter.

Searching for answers and hope, Leary’s parents turned to a clairvoyant who predicted that the swimmer would rise to become a Paralympic gold medallist.

“It is actually so amazing the fact that when I was in ICU, my dad got a fortune teller,” Leary explained.

“The fortune teller read that I wanted to go to the Paralympics, and now I’m here, I’m like ‘wow, I did it.'”

Leary was beside herself with excitement as she revelled in clinching gold in a world record time.

And that feeling was only heightened when Network Nine showed her a congratulatory video from Australian music producer Fisher.

“He’s one amazing person and I’ve always got my headphones in, he upbeats me every single day. The best song he plays is ‘World Hold On’,” Leary said.

“It gets me going. It gets me in race mode every single time and I don’t know what it is about his music, but he gets me in this rhythm to just go smash it in the water.”

After belting out Advance Australia Fair, Leary celebrated her gold by dancing on the podium, performing the robot and staring down the barrel of the broadcast camera.

Her infectious personality and comeback story has quickly made her one of the most endearing characters in Australian sport.

“I’m like, wow, I’m amazed at myself that I am, I’m like, ‘Yeah, Lex, I love that for you,’ it just makes me want to go even harder at the next Paralympics to see what else I’ve got,” Leary said.

There was nearly a second Australian medal in Leary’s race with Emily Beecroft just missing bronze in finishing fourth.

However, there were two bronze medals won for Australia in the pool on Wednesday night.

Twenty-year-old Ricky Betar led his 200m individual medley S14 through the first 100m but trailed off to finish third.

That was in contrast to Grant “Scooter” Patterson, who surged into third spot late in his 50m breaststroke SB2 to grab his second bronze of the Games.

Patterson, 35, was adamant he wanted to race on until the 2032 Games in Brisbane and catch his white whale.

“Unless something else comes up like Mercedes offer me an [F1] contract, I’ll be there in 2032,” Patterson said.

“I’ve got one goal left and that’s the gold medal, who knows if I’ll ever get it but I’ll go out and die trying.”

AAP