Two Sports Come Calling For Australian Paralympian Grace Brimelow Who Sets History Making Sights On LA28
Sunshine Coast Paris Paratriathlete Grace Brimelow has taken her first serious strokes towards her goal to represent Australia in two sports at the LA28 Games with an impressive win in the 400m freestyle on the opening night of the 2025 Australian Age and MC Age at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
Before following up her night one gold with silver in the 100m freestyle on night two.
The 17-year-old S9 athlete from Sunshine Coast Grammar won the 16-18 girls 400m final in a personal best time of 5:01.74 as she plots her path towards adding a place on the Para swim team to her Paratriathlon goals for LA.
And then silver behind Albury NSW’s 13-year-old Mia Hogan in the 100m, who won one of her five second night golds in the most impressive long-term goal the Brisbane32 home Games.
PARA POWER: Paralympian Grace Brimelow in action 2025 Australian Age Brisbane. Photo Courtesy Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia.
Coached by Charles Barry, under Grammar Head Coach Luke Stafford, Brimelow, who suffers from Cri du Chat Syndrome, is “tracking along nicely” in her bid to claim a slice of Paralympic history.
(Paris saw her Paratriathlon teammate Lauren Parker claim gold in Paratriathlon and Paracycling in one of the special highlights of the 2024 Para Games).
“I am hoping to make it in both swimming and triathlon for LA … I mean swimming wants me to swim and triathlon want me to do triathlon but it’s my choice in the end. When I chose triathlon instead of swimming last year I cried because it was just so tough for me to make the decision between one or the other. I just love both,” Brimelow said.
“Communication was a huge takeaway for me and my coach and team from Paris. Overall, it was an amazing experience and to take that experience away and apply it in every day is incredible.
“Everyone said that the Paralympic experience (would be) unbelievable and that you can’t really explain it and I didn’t really believe that. But when I got there I was like ‘woah this is an amazing experience!’
“I saw (Australian triathlete) Lauren Parker; Lakeisha Patterson and Scooter (Grant Patterson) in the Athletes’ Village, that was pretty cool. I also was there with my friend Callum Simpson; we’ve been friends since we were little so that was incredible to experience to be in Paris with him.
“Knowing that LA is going to be next (after) Paris is mind blowing. It will be incredible.”
LAUNCHING PAD:: Paris Paralympian Holly Warn getting ready for take off. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia
A Super-talented multi-skilled athlete with the world at her feet, Grace is already a member of the 2024/25 Swimming Australia National Para Flippers Squad.
The opening night of finals also featured Paralympic swim team pair Callum Simpson and Holly Warn back in the water at the same venue that saw them punch their ticket to last year’s Paris Paralympics.
Warn (S8), the youngest swimmer selected for Paris, swam 5min:23.48secs in the 16-18 years 400m multi-class freestyle to win silver behind winner Brimelow with Emilee Pratt (S9) claiming the bronze.
For Warn it was a case of new season, new goals, new PB.
“It’s pretty cool to be back … and that was a PB! I’ve got a lot of good memories here at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre but getting picked for the Paris Paralympic team is definitely the best of them,” Warn said.
“Because of my reclassification to S8, I’m switching my focus to backstroke, particularly the 100m backstroke event… I’m definitely looking forward to LA, it’s on my mind every day.”
HOMETOWN HERO: Callum Simpson shows the style that won him Para gold in Paris. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia.
Less than half an hour later, Simpson (S8) claimed the men’s 400m multi-class freestyle in what was a one second PB – stopping the clock at 4:33.50. But it’s the 100m free, the same event he won gold in Paris, he is really looking forward to which will feature on Day 2 of the program.
While Albury’s latest rising Hogan and Budd chalked up 11 races in 135 minutes for a glittering haul of nine gold and one bronze in their respective age groups. It was almost a clean sweep but a disqualification in the 50m free – for moving on the block before the start – cost her the perfect night with the 13-year-old settling for five gold.
It’s been a rapid fire few months for the S13 para swimmer after making her international racing debut at 12 years of age in February at the 2025 World Para Series hosted in Melbourne.
Hogan – who is visually impaired and trains under Wayne Gould – was the youngest entrant and won the women’s 50m breaststroke which has her flagged for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, LA 2028 Paralympics and beyond.
FLYING TO FIVE: Mia Hogan on her way to five gold. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia
And for Budd, an S14 athlete, the odds have shortened on earning his Dolphins’ pin.
A world short course record in 2024 put pathway coaches on notice and accelerated Budd’s Paralympic dreams and his haul of four gold and one bronze in the 16-18 years age bracket was a just reward for an impressive recent National Event Camp.
In all, 188 multi-class athletes are swimming at this meet aged 12 to 18 years.
MAKING A SPLASH: Declan Budd celebrates one of his four golden moments. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia
