AusLeisure

Belgravia Leisure has announced that Belgravia Swim Squad Head Coach Harley Connolly and swim team athletes Brenden Hall and Lakiesha ‘Lucky’ Patterson have been selected to compete at the Toyko Paralympics in August.

Each of the athletes has a remarkable story.

Patterson was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy left-sided Hemiplegia soon after birth and epilepsy at the age of five. She began her swimming journey 17 years ago to manage muscle stiffness and has not looked back since.

She has won gold at four major Games including the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and is tipped as one of the favourites to win this year’s Games, which will be her second.

Excited to have secured her ticket to Tokyo and is looking forward to reaching her goal of bringing home a gold medal, she explains “to finally have that security of ‘yes you are going’ was a sense of pride and accomplishment.

“But the job is not over yet. It’s still head down and put in the hard work and progress towards those goals of winning gold.”

Head Coach Connolly is extremely proud of the pair’s performances in the pool, describing them both as exceptional swimmers, commenting “Lucky is incredibly hardworking – one of the hardest workers on the team. She is resilient, willing to learn and willing to train with the boys and their volume of kilometres. She has the winning desire instilled in her.”

Born in 1993, Brenden Hall had his right leg amputated after complications from chicken pox at the age of six.

As a Paralympic amputee swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and, representing Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

The Tokyo Paralympics in August will be Hall’s fourth, having trained under Coach Connolly for the past nine years.

Connolly adds “Brenden is a widely experienced athlete. He is committed to success, resilient, disciplined and always willing to go one further in training.”

Connolly’s advice for anyone who has dreams of participating in the Olympics or Paralympics is to find a coach and program that aligns with your own goals, noting “be willing to sacrifice many things including parties and late nights.

“Remember that training for an Olympic or Paralympic Games is a small part of your life. Commonly, we retire from professional competitive swimming before we hit 30. Some athletes are lucky enough to be good enough to keep going past this age and still be competitive.”

Click here find out more about Belgravia Leisure’s aquatics programs.

Images: Belgravia Swim Squad Head Coach Harley Connolly (middle) and swim team athletes Lakiesha ‘Lucky’ Patterson and Brenden Hall (top) and Connolly on the pool deck (below).

Related Articles

25th July 2021 - AIS Chief Executive congratulates Australia’s swimming performance at Tokyo Olympic Games

24th July 2021 - Paralympics Australia aims for 2032 Brisbane Games to deliver societal change

23rd July 2021 - CALD Academy refugee swimming and employment program secures Zest award

22nd July 2021 - Australian Sports Commission welcomes Brisbane hosting 2032 Olympics and Paralympics

18th July 2021 - Lynne Anderson to step down as Chief Executive at Paralympics Australia

14th July 2021 - Belgravia Leisure trials inclusive ‘All In’ swimming program at Knox Leisureworks 

8th July 2021 - Belgravia Leisure introduces inclusive ‘All In’ swimming program at Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre

5th July 2021 - Belgravia Leisure stands down Sydney workforce without pay

13th May 2021 - Speedo unveils Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics swimwear range

10th May 2021 - Belgravia Group launches franchise model for BK’s Gymnastics brand

18th December 2020 - Belgravia Leisure’s achievements in aquatic programs and facilities recognised at AUSTSWIM Awards

12th October 2020 - Belgravia Leisure secures Whittlesea City Council aquatic facilities management contract

23rd June 2020 - Belgravia Leisure announces reopening of all Australian and New Zealand facilities

4th June 2020 - Belgravia Leisure survey reinforces focus on health and safety when more facilities reopen

22nd April 2016 - Olympic Swimming Champion Brooke Hanson backs Belgravia Leisure water safety programs

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.