Aussie triathlon prodigy fighting for life after horrific accident
A rising star of Australian triathlon is fighting for life in hospital after a horrific accident while riding her bike over the weekend.
Alexa Leary, 19, was seriously injured during her morning ride at Pomona near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
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She was transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital where she remains in an induced coma, with doctors worried about blood clots on her brain.
Leary has reportedly suffered a fractured scapula, ribs, shoulder blade and wrist, as well as major brain damage and a collapsed lung.
"I always follow behind the team when Alexa is training of a morning and as I came over the hill an ambulance raced by me," Leary's father Russell told the Courier Mail.
"I then saw Alexa lying in the gutter and was told she had clipped the wheel of another rider causing her to fall."
Leary won national titles in 2019 and 2020 and represented Australia at the world titles in Switzerland in 2019, finishing second.
She is widely regarded as one of the rising stars of the sport in Australia.
"She is one of the most amazing people there is and someone who gives everything to the world," her father said.
Aussie sporting community rallies around Alexa Leary
The 19-year-old is also a popular trainer at F45 in Noosa.
“We are all feeling the effect of Alexa’s situation and it’s rocked us. We are trying to continue life as normal but under the smiles we are beyond broken,” F45 Noosa wrote on Facebook.
“Her family are standing by … taking each moment she doesn’t decline as a mini victory.
“We need to keep this family in our thoughts and prayers, they need us and we need Lex to pull through.
“Lexi girl, you are stronger than you know, braver than us all and we totally know you will conquer this mountain. Come on Lexi, we are all waiting for you.”
Boyfriend Will O’Dwyer has posted a number of photos of his girlfriend, writing “stay strong my darling, I love you, you can do this”.
Brother Max said his sister is “a ray of sunshine and the Leary household has never been so cold”.
“You have always been strong and it’s not fair how much s*** you have been through this year; but you have to keep fighting … We want our big sister back."
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