Kara Leo

Leo was born on 21 September 1992 in, New South Wales.[1][2] In 2007, Leo won the NSW Junior Athlete of the Year with a Disability award.[1] In 2010, she earned the NSW Sports Federation's Young Athlete with a Disability award.[3]

Leo attended Caroline Chisholm College.[4] She is involved with the Samuel Morris Foundation, an organisation that helps children cope with near-drowning experiences, whom she represents as a youth ambassador.[1][2]

Leo is an S14 classification swimmer.[1][5] She is a member of the Nepean Aquatic Swim Club.[6][7]

Leo started swimming in 1996.[1] She first represented Australia in 2007,[1] where she finished first at the 2007 INAS-FID Swimming World Championships in the 50m backstroke event.[1] All told at the event, she won one bronze medal, four silver medals and five gold medals.[1] She competed at the 2009 Global Games.[6] In 2009, she competed at the All Schools Australian Swimming Championships. In the years 16-19 multi-disability 100-metre freestyle event, she finished in first with a personal best time of 1.06.73, finished third in the 50-metres butterfly event and the 4x50-metres free relay event, and finished fourth in the 200-metres individual medley.[4]

Leo competed at the 2010 Global Games, where she earned nine gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals. One of her first-place finishes was in an 800-metre event.[8] She competed at the 2010 International Paralympic Committee Swimming World Championships in the S14 200m freestyle event where she finished second and set a personal best.[2][9] Her 2010 training included seven to "eight water sessions and three gym sessions a week."[2][3]

Leo at the 2012 London Paralympics

Leo competed at the 2011 Australian Short Course Championships.[7] She has been selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the S14 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke swimming events.[5][10] She was scheduled to leave for Wales on 10 August for a pre-Paralympics team training camp.[5]