With three of the five swimmers hailing from Australia it was a certainty that at least one medal would be coming their way but to take all three is just fantastic.
Rowan Crothers (at only 16 years old) smashed his own world record with a time of 54.58 closely followed by his teammates Matthew Cowdrey (Silver) and Brenden Hall (Bronze)
Rowan Crothers
Type of Impairment
Cerebral Palsy
Impairment Details
He was born 15 weeks prematurely, which resulted in him being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at eight months old.
Start of sporting career
He has been swimming since he was a boy. His physiotherapist recommended that he take up swimming to help with his body control. “I feel much happier now than I ever have – when you finish and you do a good time you feel amazing.”
Reason for taking up this sport
“I have always been bad at sports but I always loved swimming. I had to swim with the beginners for a very long time because the cerebral palsy affected my stroke and I got really sad having to swim with the six-year-olds when I was 10. When I saw the Paralympic Games I realised that I could be a great swimmer, just different. I want other kids with disabilities to know they can be great swimmers too.”
Ambitions
To compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Training
He trains 18 hours per week.
Hero
He met Paralympic gold medallists Chris Scott, a cyclist, and Peter Leek, a swimmer with cerebral palsy, and was inspired by their stories. Peter gained better control of his movements after years of training, and encouraged Rowan to continue with the sport. “He told me to keep swimming,” he says.
