Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | 8 August 1985 |
Sport | |
Country | Australia |
Sport |
Paralympic athletics Paratriathlon |
Jack Swift (born 8 August 1985) is an Australian athletics competitor and paratriathlete. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics in the 400m and 4 × 100 m events.
Swift was born on 8 August 1985, [1] and is from the Melbourne [2] suburb of Ivanhoe [3] in Victoria. [4] [5] He attended Marcellin College, [3] and played Australian rules football while at school. [3]
In 2006, [3] Swift lost the lower part of his right leg when he was twenty-one years old after an accident while at work, [2] [3] [6] "when a 14-tonne excavator fell and crushed his right leg". [3] Prior to his accident, he was a plumber's labourer. [3] He was a finalist for the 2011 Victorian Cleo Bachelor of the Year. [5] In February 2011, he was on the cover of Australian Men's Health. [2] He pursued a degree in exercise-science [2] [3] from Deakin University. [3] As of 2012 [update], he works as a personal trainer. [2]
Swift competes in the T44 athletics classification. [1] He became involved with athletics as a form of personal mental health improvement following his accident, [2] [3] and had not competed in athletics prior to his accident. [3]
In 2011, Swift was training as much as twenty-five hours a week. [3] In the 2011 Victorian Athletic League, he participated in the Athletes With a Disability 120m event, the only event open to athletes with disability during the season. [7] In 2011, he was an Australian national ambulant 100m and 200m finalist. [7] At the 2011 Australian Athletics Championships, he finished third in the 200m wheelchair race final. [5] He assisted in unveiling the 2012 Australian Paralympic athletics uniform. [8] [9] He did this at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia Spring/Summer 2012/13 on day two at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal on 1 May 2012. [9] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics [1] [2] [4] in the 400m and 4 × 100 m events. [6] He did not medal at the 2012 Games.[ citation needed]
In April 2013, Swift raced his first sprint distance triathlon. [10] [11] Based on his performance in this race, he was selected in Australia's 2013 ITU Triathlon World Championships paratriathlon team. [12] Like several other selected Australian athletes, he did not race. Swift competed in the 2014 Australian and Oceania Paratriathlon Championships, placing 2nd in the TRI-5 (moderate leg impairment) classification. [13] He also placed second TRI-5 in the ITU World Paratriathlon event in Elwood. [14] At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Final in Edmonton, Canada, he finished eleventh in the Men's PT4. [15] In January 2015, Swift won the Oceania Paratriathlon Championships PT4 event at Penrith, New South Wales. [16] At the 2015 World Triathlon Series Final in Chicago, Swift finished twelfth in the Men's PT4. [17]
Swift now aims to qualify for paratriathlon at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [18]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | 8 August 1985 |
Sport | |
Country | Australia |
Sport |
Paralympic athletics Paratriathlon |
Jack Swift (born 8 August 1985) is an Australian athletics competitor and paratriathlete. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics in the 400m and 4 × 100 m events.
Swift was born on 8 August 1985, [1] and is from the Melbourne [2] suburb of Ivanhoe [3] in Victoria. [4] [5] He attended Marcellin College, [3] and played Australian rules football while at school. [3]
In 2006, [3] Swift lost the lower part of his right leg when he was twenty-one years old after an accident while at work, [2] [3] [6] "when a 14-tonne excavator fell and crushed his right leg". [3] Prior to his accident, he was a plumber's labourer. [3] He was a finalist for the 2011 Victorian Cleo Bachelor of the Year. [5] In February 2011, he was on the cover of Australian Men's Health. [2] He pursued a degree in exercise-science [2] [3] from Deakin University. [3] As of 2012 [update], he works as a personal trainer. [2]
Swift competes in the T44 athletics classification. [1] He became involved with athletics as a form of personal mental health improvement following his accident, [2] [3] and had not competed in athletics prior to his accident. [3]
In 2011, Swift was training as much as twenty-five hours a week. [3] In the 2011 Victorian Athletic League, he participated in the Athletes With a Disability 120m event, the only event open to athletes with disability during the season. [7] In 2011, he was an Australian national ambulant 100m and 200m finalist. [7] At the 2011 Australian Athletics Championships, he finished third in the 200m wheelchair race final. [5] He assisted in unveiling the 2012 Australian Paralympic athletics uniform. [8] [9] He did this at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia Spring/Summer 2012/13 on day two at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal on 1 May 2012. [9] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics [1] [2] [4] in the 400m and 4 × 100 m events. [6] He did not medal at the 2012 Games.[ citation needed]
In April 2013, Swift raced his first sprint distance triathlon. [10] [11] Based on his performance in this race, he was selected in Australia's 2013 ITU Triathlon World Championships paratriathlon team. [12] Like several other selected Australian athletes, he did not race. Swift competed in the 2014 Australian and Oceania Paratriathlon Championships, placing 2nd in the TRI-5 (moderate leg impairment) classification. [13] He also placed second TRI-5 in the ITU World Paratriathlon event in Elwood. [14] At the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series Final in Edmonton, Canada, he finished eleventh in the Men's PT4. [15] In January 2015, Swift won the Oceania Paratriathlon Championships PT4 event at Penrith, New South Wales. [16] At the 2015 World Triathlon Series Final in Chicago, Swift finished twelfth in the Men's PT4. [17]
Swift now aims to qualify for paratriathlon at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [18]