![](https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/moretondaily-assets/Banner-Ads/Q3-2024/Moreton-Says-Digital-Adverts-Mobile-Banner-300x250px.jpg)
Who’s Who in 2022, Sport: Paige Leonhardt
Published 1:15am 1 December 2022
Years of hard work paid off for Paige Leonhardt in June when she won her first major international gold medal at the World Para Swimming Championships.
In the S14 100m butterfly final, the 22-year-old pulled away from Britain’s Jessica Applegate in the closing stages to win by more than half a second, clocking 1 minute 5.27 seconds.
A new recruit the Belgravia squad at Burpengary, she also returned with silver medals in the S14 100m breaststroke and with the Australian Mixed 4x100m S14 Relay team.
It was a remarkable haul for the Redlands resident who has seen her classification change and only joined coach Harley Connolly and his team late last year.
However, this was also the culmination of 10 years training in the pool and more than 15 years since a car accident which left her with severe injuries.
About Paige Leonhardt
Paige Leonhardt won her first national medal a year after taking up squad swimming and her sporting career has been on a steep upward curve ever since.
It has been a triumph of strength and determination.
Leonhardt was five when she suffered severe injuries in a car accident and spent four years recovering.
It left her with hemiplegia cerebral palsy, intercranial hypertension, epilepsy and autism.
She started squad swimming to help the rehabilitation and a year later won seven gold and four silver from 11 events at the 2013 Queensland Multi-Class Championships.
A bronze medal followed at the 2014 Australian Championships 50m breaststroke Multi-class in a personal best 2 minutes 39.11 seconds.
Next stop was Rio for the 2016 Paralympics where Leonhardt made the S10 100m butterfly and 100m breaststroke finals, finishing sixth in both.
She was selected for the 2017 World Para Championships, which were initially postponed following an earthquake in Mexico.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games, on the Gold Coast, saw Leonhardt win the SB9 100m breaststroke silver and just miss the podium in the SM10 100m medley, finishing fourth.
After the COVID pandemic, there was another silver medal, this time at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics S14 100m butterfly in 1 minute 5.48 seconds, less than two seconds behind the winner who broke the world record.
In two other finals – the SB14 100m breaststroke and SM14 200m medley relay – Leonhardt did not medal.
However, less than 12 months later, silver became gold at the world para swimming championships.
Related Stories
Top Stories
![2024 Paris Paralympic Games Moreton Bay coverage: Ricky Betar in the finals](https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Sports-Submissions/Ricky-Betar/Morayfield_Paralympics_Swimming_Ricky_Betar_Moreton_Bay_City_Image_Delly_Carr_2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1200 1200w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Sports-Submissions/Ricky-Betar/Morayfield_Paralympics_Swimming_Ricky_Betar_Moreton_Bay_City_Image_Delly_Carr_2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=405&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=720 720w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Sports-Submissions/Ricky-Betar/Morayfield_Paralympics_Swimming_Ricky_Betar_Moreton_Bay_City_Image_Delly_Carr_2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=225&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=60&w=400 400w)
2024 Paris Paralympic Games Moreton Bay coverage: Ricky Betar in the finals
Morayfield's Ricky Betar has swum in the men's 100m backstroke final in Paris this morning. Check out the FREE story in the link in the comments below to see how he went.
![](https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/moretondaily-assets/Banner-Ads/Q3-2024/KF24_MD-ad_300x250px.jpg)
![](https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/moretondaily-assets/Banner-Ads/Q3-2024/02092024_CommBankLender_Celeste_300x250.jpg)
Popular Stories
![Bromwich: ‘I just want to play finals’](https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Dolphins/Dolphins-V-Raiders-round-two-2023/Dolphins-v-Raiders_Jesse_bromwich_5968.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1200 1200w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Dolphins/Dolphins-V-Raiders-round-two-2023/Dolphins-v-Raiders_Jesse_bromwich_5968.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=405&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=720 720w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Dolphins/Dolphins-V-Raiders-round-two-2023/Dolphins-v-Raiders_Jesse_bromwich_5968.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=225&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=60&w=400 400w)
Bromwich: ‘I just want to play finals’
Dolphins NRL captain Jesse Bromwich is not dwelling on the possibility that this weekend’s do-or-die clash with the Knights could be his last game, saying if his side plays like they did against the Broncos he’s confident they will play finals footy
![Moreton Bay SES claims prestigious award](https://moretondaily.imgix.net/News/Moreton-SES/Moreton_Bay_SES_Award_2024.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&usm=20&w=1200 1200w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/News/Moreton-SES/Moreton_Bay_SES_Award_2024.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=405&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=720 720w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/News/Moreton-SES/Moreton_Bay_SES_Award_2024.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=225&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=60&w=400 400w)
Moreton Bay SES claims prestigious award
Moreton Bay State Emergency Service volunteers have been named State Unit of the Year at the SES Week State Awards Ceremony. Here's why...
![Turning course pink for McGrath fundraiser](https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Sports-Submissions/Redcliffe-Golf-Club/Redcliffe-fundraiser-2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=1200 1200w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Sports-Submissions/Redcliffe-Golf-Club/Redcliffe-fundraiser-2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=405&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=82&w=720 720w, https://moretondaily.imgix.net/Sports-Submissions/Redcliffe-Golf-Club/Redcliffe-fundraiser-2.jpg?crop=focalpoint&domain=moretondaily.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=225&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=60&w=400 400w)
Turning course pink for McGrath fundraiser
Redcliffe Golf Club will be a sea of pink at the 42nd annual Dorothy Banks Charity Day, being held next month.