Culture

Australia Is In Love With Paralympian Ahmed Kelly After His Epic Medal Run

Kelly and his best mate Grant Patterson clinched the silver and bronze in the individual medley.

by Edwina Storie  31 August 2021
Disabled swimmer Ahmed Kelly pictured swimming in the 150m medley on Saturday night before winning silver.

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In a period when there has been little figurative sunshine, thank god we have the Paralympics to bring us wholesome moments.

And with that, please allow me to introduce you to one of our Australian Paralympian heroes of 2021, Ahmed Kelly. Kelly competed in the SM3 150m individual medley race on Saturday evening with his best mate Grant Patterson. Kelly glided into second place and Patterson made it to third, in a very heartwarming moment that showed the fond rivalry of two best friends. Kelly and Patterson have known one another for 15 years.

Kelly was born in an orphanage in Baghdad, Iraq, with a congenital limb deficiency. He and his brother were adopted and came to Australia as children, and Kelly fell in love with sport.

“I was born with a disability and really tried to make the most of it, like by setting goals and working towards those goals rather than focusing on the disability part,” he told SBS News.

The Tokyo games was Kelly’s third time representing Australia at the Paralympic Games. He was ready to throw in the towel earlier in the year, but his coach managed to convince him otherwise. The extra training saw him eventually take the winning podium in Tokyo on Saturday night.

“I think for us to get [to representing Australia at the Paralympic Games], it’s quite incredible. The sheer determination, the ability to never give up despite having a disability or despite having different challenges along the way to get ready and race your very best — it’s quite incredible,” Kelly told SBS News.

Brisbane will be hosting the Paralympic games in 2032, and Kelly encourages all children who might have a disability to think about setting a goal to represent Australia at the home games.

“Really try it out and set goals and they don’t have to be big goals straight away, set small goals, leading up to that big goal,” he told SBS News. “Don’t be afraid of dreaming to represent Australia at the 2032 Paralympic and Olympic Games.”

Photo Credit: Sam Barnes/Getty Images