Aussie Paralympians caught in bus farce en route to swimming pool
Updated . First published at
The Paralympic campaigns of Australian swimmers Ruby Storm and Paige Leonhardt got off to a rocky start on Thursday night (AEST) with the pair encountering drama on their way to the Paris La Defense Arena.
Travelling to the venue for their opening swims on day one of the Games, the athletes became stranded on a shuttle bus from the Paralympic Village for an hour and a half.
The journey normally takes just 30 minutes.
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Australia's Paige Leonhardt competes during the women's 100m butterfly S14 heats on day one of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Michael Reaves via Getty Images
Unfortunately, the delay cut into the athletes' warm-up before competiting.
Speaking after her heat swim in the women's 100m butterfly S14, Storm told Nine commentator Annabelle Williams the experience impacted her performance.
After finishing fifth in her heat and falling short of reaching the final, Storm said her heart rate had been elevated for an extended period in the lead-up to her race because of the stress.
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Leonhardt finished third in her heat to qualify sixth fastest for the final.
"There's always a lot to deal with and throwing that into the equation, that's tough," Todd Woodbridge said in commentary for Nine.
After placing seventh in the final on Friday morning, Leonhardt ascribed her tail-end finish to nerves and fatigue.
She also admitted to catching an earlier bus ahead of the night session.
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