Brenden Hall, OAM (born 27 May 1993) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics where he won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal.[1] He competed at 2020 Summer Paralympics, his fourth games.[2]

Brenden Hall
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Hall
Personal information
Full nameBrenden Hall
NicknameJunior
NationalityAustralian
Born (1993-05-27) 27 May 1993 (age 30)
Nambour, Queensland
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClassificationsS9, SB8, SM9
ClubBelgravia Swim Team
CoachHarley Connolly
Medal record
Men's paralympic swimming
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 400 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m freestyle S9
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m backstroke S9
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 400 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 5 km open water S1-10
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle 34pts
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 4×100 m medley 34pts
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 400 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place 2013 Montreal 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2015 Glasgow 100 m backstroke S9
Gold medal – first place 2015 Glasgow 400 m freestyle S9
Silver medal – second place 2019 London 400 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Glasgow 100 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle 34 points
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Madeira 400 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Manchester 400 m freestyle S9
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast 100 m backstroke S9
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Glasgow 100 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Gold Coast 100 m freestyle S9

Personal edit

Hall was born on 27 May 1993 in the Queensland town of Nambour.[3] At the age of six, he had his right leg amputated after complications from chicken pox.[3] The disease also resulted in the loss of 70% of his hearing.[3] Initially he was reliant on a wheelchair but in the mid-2000s he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. Hall said "didn't really care how I walked, just that I could walk".[4] Hall attended Petrie State School.[4] In 2017, he completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Queensland.[5] In 2021, he is halfway through a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the Australian Catholic University.[6] He is an ambassador for the Aspiration for Kids programme.[3] and Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association's Game Changers.[7]

Career edit

 
Hall at the 2012 London Paralympics

Before his amputation, he was a member of a mini development squad and returned to swimming after his amputation had healed.[4] He made his international swimming debut at the 2007 Arafura Games.[8] He was the youngest male on the Australian swimming team at the 2008 Beijing Games.[8] He competed in the Men's 400 m Freestyle S9 and came 5th in the final. He broke the Paralympic record in his heat.[8] At the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven he won gold medals in the Men's 400m Freestyle S9, Men's 5 km Open Water S1-S10, Men's 4 x 100 m Freestyle Relay 34 points (Heat) Men's 4 x 100 m Medley Relay 34 points (Heat).[3][9] In 2011, at the Queensland Swimming Championships he broke world records in the 800 m and 1500 m Freestyle events.[8]

At the 2012 London Games, Hall won two gold medals in the Men's 400 m Freestyle S9 and Men's 4 x 100 m Freestyle Relay 34 points and a bronze medal in the Men's 4 x 100 m Medley Relay 34 points.[10][11] He also participated in the S9 class of the Men's 100 m Backstroke, 100 m Butterfly S9, 100 m Freestyle and 50 m Freestyle events – as well as the 200 m Individual Medley SM9.[11]

As of February 2013, Hall holds S9 world records in the 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m freestyle events.[12] Competing at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he won two gold medals in the Men's 400m Freestyle S9 and Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay (34 points).[13] He broke the world record in winning the Men's 400m Freestyle S9.[14]

At the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, Hall won the gold medals in the Men's 100 m Backstroke S9 and Men's 400 m Freestyle S9 and bronze medals in the Men's 100 m Freestyle S9 and Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay 34 points.[15][16][17][18] He finished fifth in the Men's 50m Freestyle S9, fifth in the Men's 100m Butterfly S9 and sixth in the Men's 200m Individual Medley SM9.[19]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Hall won the gold medal in the Men's 400 m Freestyle S9, silver medal in the Men's 100 m Freestyle S9 and bronze medal in the Men's 100 m Backstroke S9. He also competed in the following events: Men's 100m Butterfly S9 finishing fourth, Men's 4 × 100 m Medley Relay (34 points) placing fourth, Men's 200m Individual Medley SM9 where he was disqualified and Men's 50m Freestyle S9 not progressing to the finals.[20]

In preparation for Rio, Hall stated: "The fire's there. I love being in the water. I'm just aiming to have a good Games and defend the 400m. My training is based around the 400m. That's the one I want to do best in."[21] After winning the gold medal at Rio, Hall says: "We're very excited, very relieved, I think the party's only begun tonight, but still got about five events to go, so hopefully we'll figure again."[22]

At the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, Hall won the silver medal in the Men's 400 m Freestyle S9.[23]

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Hall competed in three events but did not medal.[24] He reached the final of the 400 m freestyle S9 and come fourth. He also reached the final of the 100 m backstroke S9 and came eighth. He did not advance to the final of the 100 m butterfly S9.[25]

Hall won the bronze medal in the Men's 400 m Freestyle at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships, Madeira.[26]

At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, he finished 5th in the Men's 100m Backstroke S9.[27][28]

Recognition edit

Hall was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[29] In 2015, he won the Queensland Athlete with a Disability Award, the third time he had won this award.[30]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Swimming Australia Paralympic Squad Announcement". Swimming Australia News. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Paralympics Australia Names Powerful Para-Swimming Team For Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Athlete Profile – Brenden Hall". International Paralympic Committee Website. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  4. ^ a b c Lawrence, Ellisa (5 September 2016). "Paralympics 2016: We're the Superhumans – Queensland's champions". Courier Mail. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Brenden Hall". University of Queensland Sport Scholarship Holders. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Life beyond the pool important for Hall". Swimming Australia. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Changing lives through sharing stories". Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association website. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d "Brenden Hall". Australian Paralympic Committee Website. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  9. ^ "2010 IPC Swimming World Championships Results" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee Website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Brenden Hall – Athlete Results". London 2012 Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Brenden Hall". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  12. ^ IPC Swimming World Records – Long Course[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Men's relay team back it up in Montreal". Swimming Australia News. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  14. ^ "Twenty-seven medals for the Australian swim team in Montreal". Swimming Australia News. 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Ellie's world record double in golden start for Dolphins in Glasgow". Swimming Australia News, 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  16. ^ "World record for 13-year-old Tiffany Thomas-Kane as Dolphins light up the pool in Glasgow 15 July". Swimming Australia News, 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  17. ^ "Aussies unite for a nail biting bronze medal win in the men's relay". Swimming Australia News, 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  18. ^ "Two world records for China, four more fall at Glasgow 2015". International Paralympic Committee8 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  19. ^ "Brenden Hall results". Glasgow 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  20. ^ "Swimming results". Rio Paralympics official website. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  21. ^ Crockford, Nick. "Paralympian Brenden Hall lapping up the pressure of being world record holder at Rio Paralympic Games". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  22. ^ Mason, Jamie-Leigh. "Petrie's Brenden Hall wins gold in 400m freestyle S9 final at Rio Paralympic Games". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  23. ^ "Brenden Hall". 2019 World Para Swimming Championships Results. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  24. ^ "Brenden Hall". Tokyo Paralympics Official Results. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Grant Patterson". 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Cole, Patterson And Levy Amongst Stars Of The Pool Ready To Splash And Dash In Birmingham". Commonwealth Games Australia. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  28. ^ "2022 Commonwealth Games Results". Commonwealth Games Australia. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  30. ^ "21st Annual Queensland Sport Awards" (PDF). QSport website. 30 November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

External links edit