QUT student Lewis Bishop (pictured above right) has stunned spectators with an amazing finish to claim bronze in the S9 100m butterfly at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris over the weekend.
The 19-year-old exercise physiology student turned eighth at the end of the first lap, but powered his way home to the final wall – and the podium – to touch out fourth-placed Italian swimmer Federico Morlacchi by two one-hundredths of a second for the bronze medal.
Fellow Aussie Timothy Hodge took silver and Italian Simone Barlaam won gold.
Lewis told ABC Sport he was stunned by the result.
“I’m still pinching myself, even with this medal around my neck,” he said.
“Today I came out and said you know what, this is my first ever race (in Paris), I’m 19 years old, I’ve made the team – that was my goal this year – I’m just going to have fun.
“I don’t know how I did it in the last 10 metres, I’m in disbelief.”
Lewis said he wasn’t traditionally a fast finisher or starter.
“The thing with leg amps is we don’t have a great start off the block so you’ve kind of got to work on your swim speed a lot,” he said.
“So I do a lot of back end work in training. But I was never really known for having a strong back end until this meet.
“I think the crowd somewhat carried me. I do well under pressure.
“The last 25 metres, I thought, look you’ve got to want it more than you want to breathe.
“And I put my head down and somehow got the touch by two one-hundredths of a second.”
Lewis lost his lower right leg in a boating accident when he was 9, and met Paralympic gold medallist swimmer Brenden Hall in hospital.
They were introduced to each other by Queensland Children’s Hospital senior physiotherapist Shail Maharaj, who said he did not want Lewis to lose hope about his future.
It proved an inspirational meeting, with years of mentoring following – and then rivalry in the pool.
They were both in the S9 butterfly heats in Paris.
“It really is a surreal story, something you’d see in a movie,” Lewis told the ABC.
“The fact that we are on the team now together is incredible.”
After his bronze swim Lewis also paid tribute to his parents, who were cheering him on in Paris.
“As soon as I saw them I just broke down – they were the ones that were with me from the start … I can’t wait to give them a hug and talk about the journey we’ve had together and talk about the race tonight,” he said.
“They say it’s an individual sport, but you have a team around you at all times – especially me, I have a great team.”
Lewis is in his first year of a Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at QUT and is also one of four students this year who received QUT Elite Sport Scholarships in Partnership with the Queensland Academy of Sport.
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MAIN IMAGE AT TOP:
NANTERRE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 06: Gold medalist Simone Barlaam of Team Italy (C), Silver medalist Timothy Hodge of Team Australia (L) and Bronze medalist Lewis Bishop of Team Australia (R) pose for a photo during the Para Swimming Men's 100m Butterfly S9 Medal Ceremony on day nine of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Paris La Defense Arena on September 06, 2024 in Nanterre, France. Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images.
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