Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
BAMAWM Extension's Col Pearse is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist after his triumphant swim in the final of the men's 100m butterfly S10 final.
The 19-year-old won the gold medal in a time of 56.91 from lane two early on Wednesday morning (AEST) in Birmingham.
Pearse is competing at his first Commonwealth Games and led an all-Australian quinella in the final, with fellow Aussie Alex Anthony Saffy (57.53) finishing second.
The final also included another Australian William Martin, who was fourth in a time of 58.73.
Pearse's win on Wednesday morning followed his bronze medal in the men's 100m butterfly S10 at last year's Tokyo Paralympics.
Pearse swam splits of 26.92 for the first 50 and 29.99 for the second 50, with his biggest fans - his family - cheering him on back home proudly from Bamawm.
Pearse's parents Julian and Teena and siblings Ashleigh, Corey and Stephanie all watched on together from the family's dairy farm in their homemade "Team Pearse" t-shirts with immense pride as he captured the gold.
"We all had our matching shirts on this morning and watched the race together," Pearse's jubilant older sister, Ashleigh, said.
"It was obviously very nerve-racking waiting to see how it would unfold... mum made breakfast, but we were all too nervous to eat.
It was obviously very nerve-racking waiting to see how it would unfold... mum made breakfast, but we were all too nervous to eat
- Ashleigh Pearse
"The minute the race took felt like about 10 minutes; particularly for the first 50 where everyone is going out really hard and you want to see how people turn.
"Usually, Col pulls away quite strongly and finishes well, so it's easier to watch the closer he gets to the finish.
"We were all so excited when he won and just so proud. It was a really special moment because while it's not all about winning, he has always wanted a gold medal and to see him get exactly what he has worked so hard for is really special."
Pearse had his right foot amputated from below the ankle when he was two following an accident with a lawnmower.
It has been a hectic 12 months for Pearse following last year's Paralympics.
"It has been a huge 12 months for Col. The lockdowns the previous couple of years have been really tough, but watching him adapt to his training and the resilience he has shown to just keep pushing towards his goals has been really inspiring," Ashleigh said.
"He's only a teenager and it really is so inspiring to see someone work so hard for something and that bronze at the Paralympics last year was awesome, but this gold medal today is really special.
"It takes a bit of the pressure off with this being his fourth international meet and he's shown that he's now cool, calm and collected whereas before he was all really new to this level of competition.
"We've only briefly had a chance to speak to him and, to be honest, he was hoping to swim a bit faster; he really wanted to swim a 56.8 but he went 56.9, so he's certainly a hard taskmaster, but he had a grin from ear to ear."
Meanwhile, Bendigo's Jenna Strauch finished sixth in the final of the women's 100m breaststroke.
Strauch swam a time of 1:07.60 to finish 2.12 seconds behind South African winner Lara van Niekerk (1:05.47).
Strauch was one of three Australians in the final, along with Chelsea Hodges (3rd) and Abbey Harkin (5th).
Bendigo lawn bowler Aaron Wilson has begun the defence of his men's singles gold medal with a win over Phillip Jim of the Cook Islands.
Wilson dominated from the outset on the way to a 21-9 victory.
Wilson laid the groundwork for the win when he bolted to a 10-0 lead after four ends.
And Bendigo Spirit's Alex Wilson has won a bronze medal in the women's 3x3 basketball.
Australia beat New Zealand 15-13 in the bronze medal game.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Download our app on iOS and Android
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News