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Col Pearse (born 10 July 2003) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, he won the bronze medal in the 100 m butterfly S10.[1] At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, he won the silver medal Men's 200 m medley SM10. [2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 10 July 2003 Echuca, Victoria |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Classifications | S10, SB9, SM10 |
| Club | Nunawading Swim Club |
| Coach | Jol Finck |
Medal record | |
Pearse was born on 10 July 2003 in Echuca, Victoria, to Teena and Julian Pearse.[3] He is the youngest of four children.[4]
At the age of two, Pearse’s right foot was amputated below the ankle after a collision with a ride-on lawnmower.[5][6] He still has his heel bone intact so he can walk on his stump, though his right side is about 5 cm shorter than his left so he has a pronounced limp.[6]
In 2018, Pearse relocated to Melbourne train with a specialist coach at the H2O Swimming Club.[7] He attended St Michael's Grammar School in Melbourne.[7][8] In 2023, he was studying a bachelor of sports media at Holmesglen in Melbourne.[9]
In 2024, Pearse featured in Woolworths Olympics and Paralympics advertising campaign for Paris 2024. The advertisement focused on Pearse swimming training in his family's farm dam and community support. [10]
Besides swimming, Pearse played junior Australian Rules football for the Lockington Cats under-12s, wearing a blue-and-white hooped prosthetic foot inspired by his beloved Geelong Football Club.[6] In late 2016, he was selected as a member of the Australian Paralympic Development Squad. In 2019, he was selected on his first Australian swim team.[11] At the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, he won the bronze medal in the men's 100 m butterfly S10 and sixth in the men's 100 m backstroke S10 and men's 200 m individual medley SM10.[12]
At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Pearse won the bronze medal in the men's 100 metre butterfly S10 with a time of 57:66, 3 seconds slower than the gold medal winner Maksym Krypak of Ukraine who set a world record. Pearse competed in the men's 200 m individual medley SM10 and made the final where he finished fourth. He also made the final of the men's 100 m backstroke S10 where he finished eighth.[13]
At the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Pearse won two silver medals - men's 100 m butterfly S10 and Men’s 200 m individual medley SM10.[14]
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Pearse won the gold medal in the men's 100 m butterfly S10.[15] At the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester, England, Pearse won two medals - silver in the Men's 200 m medley SM10 and bronze in the Men's 100 m butterfly S10.
At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, he won the silver medal in the Men's 200 m medley SM10 and finished fourth in the Men's 100 butterfly S10.[16] After winning the silver medal, Pearse reflected on his regional upbringing by stating ""I think for every Australian back home living with a disability, coming from the middle of nowhere in Australia, we tend to think they'll never go far in life" and "And I think that swim there, it really shows it doesn't matter where you come from or who you are, if you've got a dream it's achievable."[16]
- 2021 - awarded a Tier 2 Scholarship within the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program.[17]
- 2022 - Victorian Institute of Sport Para Athlete of the Year[18]
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