During the Tokyo Paralympics, Alexa Leary was in a coma.
Her parents were told to say their goodbyes, her injuries were too severe to overcome. Now she's earned Australia a comeback gold medal for the ages.
The 21-year-old was chasing Olympic triathlon dreams when while riding at 70 kilometres an hour she clipped the wheel of the bike in front of her, landing on her head.
For over 100 days she went in and out of intensive care, as her injuries proved too acute to survive, her breathing machine was switched off.
Then she began breathing on her own.
Just three incredibly short years later, Leary has learnt how to walk again, qualified for her first Paralympics, smashed a world record, and now she has earned a comeback gold medal win for the ages.
Australia's mixed 4 x 100 medley relay team (34 points) were a good 15 metres behind the Netherlands in fourth with just one swimmer to get in the pool on Monday morning.
Not only did the Gold Coast native chase down the Dutch, but she overtook them in the last few meters, swimming an incredible 59.88 in the final leg to secure the gold.
"I was watching us, and I was like, 'come on, come on'...I was like, 'I'm going to have to weapon myself out here, we've got to take home the gold'," Leary said.
"I knew I had to catch (Thijs van Hofweggen), I'm going to have to overtake him.
"I could see him, and I was like, 'I just have to take this win.' I just had to."
The quartet of Leary, Jesse Aungles, Timothy Hodge, and Emily Beecroft return home not only as gold medallists but with a Paralympic record time too.
"I have to chase them," Leary said reflecting on the race.
"I think that's what got it so good. They were a bit in front and I was like, 'I gotta chase these people'.
"We're the best team ever."
Earlier in the session Jake Michel won silver in the S14 100m breaststroke, marking 12 medals for Australia in the pool.
Redemption for Parker after river delays
Lauren Parker missed out on a gold medal by just one second in Tokyo.
It was a disappointment that still felt fresh when she arrived in Paris, and she made light work on getting her revenge over American Kendall Gretsch.
Crossing the finished line for gold a massive one minute 23 second ahead of Gretsch, Parker raced beautifully despite two days of competition delay.
The race provides a perfect ending to an intense 12-months for the 35-year-old.
An accident while training changed her posture and forced her to alter her racing style and plan.
"After getting second in Tokyo by less than a second, that's been a big driving force over the last three years," Parker said.
"Every single day, every single training session, I've worked so hard to accomplish what I have today.
"Sport brings emotional roller-coasters from week to week - I've been through a lot emotionally, personally, physically.
"It's what I've been chasing for the last three years. To finally have made it... words just can't describe it."
Parker was training for an Ironman competition in 2017 when she sustained life-changing injuries. Thinking her life was over, she said she never expected that she would get back to the sport that she loves.
It's unbelievable, she said, to now have a gold medal.
"Lying in that hospital bed, I thought my life was over, let alone getting back into the sport that I once loved and getting back into the sport of triathlon and para triathlon," she said.
"It's just unbelievable to think that I'm now a Paralympic gold medallist when I was back seven years ago in that hospital bed with a life changing accident and injury."
She now shifts focus to the road cycling events, where if she can top her event once again she will be Australia's first dual-sport Paralympic gold medallist since 1976.
And the world champion is confident she can do it.
"The cycling is my strongest leg...I'm really looking forward to getting three golds," she said.
Steelers go one better than Tokyo
After a devastating one try loss in their semi final yesterday, the Steelers have secured bronze over Great Britain.
It's been an up and down competition for the wheelchair rugby team, who lost their opening game and were forced into a win-or-your-out situation early.
Retiring team stalwart Ryley Batt said the result was bittersweet in his final Paralympics.
He celebrated his 350th appearance for the Steelers earlier in the week and admitted it wasn't the medal he wanted arriving in Paris.
"It's good but it's bittersweet though, probably should be playing tonight in the final but unfortunately those little errors yesterday, it was bloody hard to sleep last night I tell you what that game kept playing in my head," Batt said.
"It's not gold, that sucks, gotta move on from that, but we'll take that rose gold, now [I've] got the full set two golds, silver, bronze, few Worlds, pretty happy with that."
Batt wasn't the only bittersweet bronze winner, with Michael Burian in the F64 javelin throw saying he had more in his tank.
"The preparation was great. I feel a little bit like I let down my team because it wasn't just my work. I need to let it sink in because I was hoping for more," Burian said.
Best ever boccia result
Australian bocica players Dan Michel and Jamieson Leeson have earned silver in their individual BC3 finals.
It's the best Australia has ever gone in the Paralympic sport, with Leeson the first Aussie woman to earn a medal in it.
"To make it to the gold medal match, I don't even know how to feel about it. It still doesn't feel real," Leeson said. "I came in today just coming in to have a crack. I've done better than I'd even hoped for at these Games, so just super proud."
The duo will now join for the doubles competition to begin tomorrow.
Medal tally
As we wave goodbye to day five, Australia remains sixth on the medal tally with eight gold, nine silver, and 12 bronze.
China is first, with 43 gold, 30 silver, and 14 bronze. Great Britain, the United States, Brazil, and France fill the other spots.
