AT just 15 years of age and in her first Paralympic Games, Paige Leonhardt has taken to the event like a pro. After three events, Leonhardt has come up with three personal best efforts in a performance coach Jeremy Wardrop labelled as “phenomenal”.
She progressed to the final in the 100-metre breaststroke on the first night of competition, finishing with a two-second personal best time and a sixth-place finish. She backed that up with another two-second personal best performance in the 50-metre freestyle despite not making the final. In the 100-metre backstroke the teenager again set another personal best.
“Our goal all along was to make the final in the breast stroke and we’ve achieved that,” Wardrop said. “For her to do three personal best times is an outstanding performance; the way she’s handled her first Olympic games is phenomenal.”
Leonhardt’s focus now turned to qualifying for the 200m individual medley on Sunday night.
