When Rowan Crothers was born nearly 20 weeks premature in 1997, his parents painted a bleak picture of his future.
But the man who was told he would never be able to walk, talk or live an independent life is now a Paralympic swimming champion and stands on the cusp of a breakthrough achieved only by a burly Australian Olympian just a few years before his death. birth.
Crothers suffers from cerebral palsy, a condition caused by damage to the developing brain that impairs coordination and motor skills — in Crothers' case, especially through his legs.
“When I was born, when I was little, the doctors told me that I would never be independent, that I would never be able to walk and talk,” Crothers said.
“They said I was in the top 1 percent of the population in terms of social communication skills.”
Crothers learned to walk and talk, but at school, he was bullied by his peers and would hide in toilets to escape his tormentors.
The turning point came in 2008 when Crothers, then 10, watched the Paralympics in Beijing and decided he wanted to become an elite athlete.
Crothers, a world record holder when he was 16, is now a two-time Paralympian and double gold medalist at the Tokyo Games.
Now, 200 days after the Paris Paralympics, the young man who was often told what he couldn't achieve is on the cusp of a mark that elite swimmers have chased for most of their careers.
Crothers won gold in the 50m freestyle in Tokyo, but his “son” is still in the 100m, where he wants to become the first para-parameter swimmer to break the 50-second barrier in the event.
Andrew Beldon became the first Australian swimmer to break this record in 1990, while it was not until 1996 that a sub-50 second swim was required to reach the Olympic final.
The mark remains the benchmark by which healthy runners are truly considered elite, and Crothers is only a fraction of a second away.
“Currently my personal best is 50.70 seconds,” said Crothers, who trains under Kate Sparks at Eirunga Park in the elite all-around program that includes Olympian Chelsea Gubica and Paralympian Katja Dedekind: “The fastest time ever by any para swimmer in history is 50.63 – and I want To go to 49″.
“Breaking the 50-second barrier would mean a lot, not just to me, but the reason I wanted to do it is because I think it would be a great show for young kids with disabilities all over Australia and around the world, what they can achieve if they set their dreams and do everything in their power.” They sought to chase her.
“To be able to go from (being told I wouldn't be able to walk or talk) to being the fastest swimmer in the world or maybe the first swimmer to break the 50-second barrier, I think that's an amazing story.
“But it's also an amazing display of the ability to show kids imagining what they could do if they really set their dreams straight and did everything they could to chase them.”
Speaking at an event at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast on Friday, where RACV Resorts announced a three-year partnership with Paralympics Australia on the eve of the 200th day to go to the Games, Crothers said the prospect of becoming first in under 50 seconds showed the evolution of the sport. Paralympic.
“It's incredible to see how fast para-athletes are,” he said.
“But it's also about the level of seriousness and dedication that the additional support networks and people bring around Paralympic sport.
“People with disabilities have always wanted to participate and be good at sport, and when they are empowered to do that through the facilities and communities around them, we can become much better, much faster and make a much greater difference.”
Originally published as Paralympics 2024: Rowan Crothers eyes sub-50s swim at Paris Games
