Col Pearse (born 10 July 2003) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

, he won the bronze medal in the 100 m butterfly S10. He has a been selected to compete at the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Paralympic Games, Summer Paralympics (french: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 2024), commonly known as the Games of the XVII Paralympiad, and commonly known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international Multi-sport event, multi-sport paraspo ...

in Paris, France.

Personal life

Pearse was born on 10 July 2003 in Echuca, Victoria. At the age of two, his right foot was amputated from below the ankle following a collision with a ride-on lawnmower. 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. Pearse grew up in Echuca and, in 2018, he relocated to train with a specialist coach at the . He attended St Michael's Grammar School in Melbourne. In 2023, he was studying a Bachelor of Sports Media at Holmesglen in Melbourne. In 2021, Pearse was awarded a Tier 2 Scholarship within the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program.

Career

Besides swimming, Pearse played junior

Australian Rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

for the Lockington Cats under-12s, wearing a blue-and-white hooped prosthetic foot inspired by his beloved

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

. 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. At the

2019 World Para Swimming Championships The 2019 World Para Swimming Championships is the 2019 edition of the World Para Swimming Championships run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The championships were held from February to June in seven countries across five continent ...

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 Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

SM10. At the

2020 Tokyo Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...

, 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 Maksym Serhiyovich Krypak ( uk, Максим Сергійович Крипак, born 23 May 1995 in Kharkiv) is a Paralympic swimmer from Ukraine who competes in S10 and SM10 (individual medley) events. He won five gold and three silver medals ...

of Ukraine who set a world record. Pearce 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. At the

2022 World Para Swimming Championships The 2022 World Para Swimming Championships was the 11th edition of the World Para Swimming Championships, an international swimming competition for athletes with a disability. It was held in Madeira from 12 to 18 June. The competition was origin ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, Pearse won two silver medals - men's 100 m butterfly S10 and Mmn's 200 m individual medley SM10. At the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

in Birmingham, Pearse won the gold medal in the men's 100 m butterfly S10. At the

2023 World Para Swimming Championships The 2023 World Para Swimming Championships was the 12th edition of the World Para Swimming Championships, an international swimming competition for swimmers with disabilities. It was held in Manchester, Great Britain from 31 July to 6 August 202 ...

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.

Recognition

* 2022 - Victorian Institute of Sport Para Athlete of the Year

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearse, Col 2003 births Living people Male Paralympic swimmers for Australia Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in swimming Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia People from Echuca Australian male butterfly swimmers Australian male medley swimmers S10-classified para swimmers 21st-century Australian people People educated at St Michael's Grammar School Sportsmen from Victoria (state) Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games