Jack Swift

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.

For the minor league pitcher, see Kelly Jack Swift.

Jack Swift
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Swift
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1985-08-08) 8 August 1985
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportParalympic athletics
Paratriathlon

Personal

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, he works as a personal trainer.[2]

Athletics

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]

Swift competing in athletics at the 2012 London Paralympics

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.

Paratriathlon

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]

References
  1. "Jack Swift | APC Corporate". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  2. "Jack Swift headed to London Paralympics". Men's Health Magazine. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  3. Bernecich, Adrian. "Young Ivanhoe athlete in the running for Games glory". Heidelberg Leader. News Community Media. Archived from the original on 26 November 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  4. Dutton, Chris (6 June 2012). "Canberra's Paralympic athletes aim for Games glory". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory.
  5. "Patmore closes Nationals with victory | APC Corporate". Australian Paralympic Committee. 17 April 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  6. "Paralympic athletes embrace role model status". ABC News. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  7. "Ballarat Gift cements place". The Courier. Ballarat. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  8. Nearmy, Tracey (2 May 2012). Image: Australian Paralympic team uniforms launched. ABC News (Photograph). Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  9. "Paralympians Jack Swift And Kelly Cartwright Showcase The... News Photo | Getty Images AU | 143609772". Getty Images. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  10. "2013-12 Gatorade Triathlon Series Race 6 St Kilda - Jack Swift".
  11. Video on YouTube
  12. "2013 ITU Female and Male Age-Group World Championship Paratriathlon Team" (PDF). Triathlon Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2014.
  13. "Australian Paratriathlon Championships - results". Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  14. "2014 Elwood ITU World Paratriathlon Event : Paratriathlon Male TRI-5 : Results". Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  15. "Results". 2014 ITU Grand Final Edmonton website. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  16. "brave rain swept Neapean to Conquer Oceania Championships". triathlon.org.au. Triathlon Australia News. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  17. "2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago : Sep 18 2015 : Men's PT4 : Results". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  18. "About Jack". Archived from the original on 9 March 2014.
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