Brendan Burkett

Brendan John Burkett, OAM[1] (born 7 October 1963)[2] is an Australian swimmer who won five medals at four Paralympics and a silver medal at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games.

Brendan Burkett

Burkett leads the Australian Paralympic Team as the flag bearer in the Athletes Parade at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Personal information
Full name	Brendan John Burkett
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1963-10-07) 7 October 1963 Brisbane, Queensland
Medal record Swimming Paralympic Games 1996 Atlanta Men's 50 m Freestyle S9 1988 Seoul Men's 4 × 50 m Freestyle Relay A1–A8 1996 Atlanta Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle S7–10 2000 Sydney Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle 34 pts 1992 Barcelona Men's 50 m Freestyle S9 IPC Swimming World Championships 1998 Christchurch Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Open World Championships and Games for the Disabled 1990 Assen Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay S7 Commonwealth Games 1994 Victoria Men's 100 m Freestyle S9

Personal

Burkett was born on 7 October 1963 as one of six children in Brisbane.[2][3] He grew up in the Queensland town of Tannum Sands, near Gladstone.[4] He was the captain of his local rugby league team, and was hoping for a career in the sport; in 1984 he represented country Queensland in a rugby team that toured New Zealand.[2][4][5]

On 21 December 1985, the day of his graduation from Central Queensland University, he was involved in a hit-and-run accident while riding a motorcycle. His left leg was smashed in thirteen places and it was amputated ten days later.[4][6]

He received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Central Queensland University in 1985,[6] and a Master of Engineering degree from the Queensland University of Technology in 1986.[4][7] He also has a PhD in Biomechanics from the Queensland University of Technology.[7][8] He worked for five years as a consultant engineer, one of which was spent on the North Sea; he was the first person with a disability to work on an oil rig there.[9]

In 1998, he became a professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast.[7] In 1999, he helped the Australia national rugby union team prepare for that year's Rugby World Cup.[4] He was the Australian Paralympic swimming team's national sport science coordinator for the 2002 World Championships, the 2004 Paralympic Games, and the 2006 World Championships.[7] As of 25 October 2011, he was the acting dean of the Faculty of Science, Health and Education at the University of the Sunshine Coast, where he was also serving as the director of the Centre for Healthy Activities, Sport and Exercise.[8] His research areas include human health and performance (including technology and software developments in the area ) and sports biomechanics.[7]

In 2008, while he was camping with his family in Noosa, Queensland, his artificial waterproof leg was stolen.[10]

In 2011, Burkett had successful osseointegration surgery at Macquarie University Hospital performed by Munjed Al Muderis of The Osseointegration Group of Australia.[11]

Swimming career

Burkett at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics

Burkett first represented Australia at the 1987 Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships, where he won a gold medal in the 100 m butterfly.[4] At the 1988 Seoul Games, he won a silver medal in the Men's 4 × 50 m Freestyle Relay A1–A8 event.[4][12] At the 1992 Barcelona Games, he won a bronze medal in the Men's 50 m Freestyle S9 event.[13] He won a silver medal at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games in the Men's 100 m Freestyle S9 event.[5] At the 1996 Atlanta Games, he was the captain of the Australian Paralympic team.[7] At the games, he won a gold medal in the Men's 50 m Freestyle S9 event, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia,[1] and a silver medal in the Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle S7–10 event.[13] At the 1998 IPC Swimming World Championships in Christchurch, he was part of the Australian team that won a gold medal and broke a world record in the 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay event.[5] He won a gold medal and again broke a world record in the Men's 50 m Freestyle S9 event at the 1999 European Championships; his father had died earlier that year.[14] He carried the Australian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Games.[14] At the Games, he won a silver medal in the Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle 34 pts event;[13] he was very disappointed that he could not defend his 50 m freestyle title.[14] He retired from competitive swimming after the 2000 games.[10]

In September 2018, he was appointed Australian Paralympic Swimming Head Coach.[15]

Recognition

In 1988, Burkett won an Australia Day Sporting Award.[8] In 1998, Burkett was inducted into the Sunshine Coast Sports Hall of Fame.[16] In 2000, he received the Professional Engineer of the Year Award from the Institution of Engineers Australia.[8] That year, he also received an Australian Sports Medal.[17] In 2007, Burkett became a member of Swimming Queensland's Hall of Fame.[7] In 2008, he was a member of the long-term health strategy group at the Australia 2020 Summit.[8] He received the Outstanding Service to Swimming Australia Award in 2009.[8] In 2009 Burkett was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.[18]

References

1. "Burkett, Brendan John, OAM". Australian Honours Search Facility. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
2. "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Swimmers". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 19 January 2000. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
3. "Goodbye to a 'loveable larrikin'". The Observer. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
4. Maguire, Kathleen (9 October 2000). "This Dr Jekyll thrives on hurting". The Australian. p. 105.
5. Cowly, Michael (4 June 1999). "A Leader, On Land Or in Water". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
6. "Gladstone stars shine in Beijing". The Observer. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
7. "Professor Brendan Burkett". University of the Sunshine Coast. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
8. "QAS Board". Queensland Academy of Sport. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
9. "Brendan Burkett". Australian Speakers Bureau. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
10. Ja, Crystal (16 March 2008). "Paralympic swimmer Brendan Burkett's leg stolen". Courier Mail. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
11. Brendan Burkett – Endo-Exo Prosthesis Patient featuring Dr Munjed Almuderis (0:52, 4:35). Macquarie University. 20 June 2011.
12. "Australian 1988 silver medallists in swimming". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
13. "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
14. Wake, Rebekka (15 September 2010). "Sydney: Highest of Highs, Lowest of Lows for Burkett". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
15. "Burkett announced as Paralympic Swimming Head Coach". Australian Paralympic Committee website. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
16. "Brendan Burkett (1998) Swimming". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
17. "Burkett, Brendan John: Australian Sports Medal". Australian Honours Search Facility. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
18. "Mr Brendan Burkett OAM". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Retrieved 23 October 2019.