Luke Bailey

EVENTS:  T54 100m, 400m, 800m

AGE:  26 (DOB 17 Sep 1997)

COACH:  Andrew Dawes

ATHLETICS CLUB: Adamstown

AUSTRALIAN DEBUT: 2019 World Para Athletics Championships

PERSONAL BESTS: 100m 14.06 (21 May 2023), 400m 48.14 (11 Jul 2023), 800m 1:36.49 (21 May 2023) 

BIOGRAPHY

Under the expert tutelage of coach Andrew Dawes, who guided Kurt Fearnley’s career, there was a nice synergy when Luke started his Paralympic Games journey in Tokyo just as Kurt’s had ended. Tokyo was the first Paralympics in two decades that Kurt has not been competing at. He went to five Summer Games. In fact, it was a chat with Kurt that stirred the wheelchair-racing bug inside Luke. 
“At the age of 12 I met up with two amazing athletics Christie Dawes, Kurt Fearnley and one incredible coach Andrew Dawes at the Newcastle Track,” recalled Luke. “I then got to experience firsthand what it was like to go fast, not to have anything or anyone get in my way, just me and my freedom to race.”

Kurt continued to have an influence, albeit remotely on Luke. He lists his greatest sporting moment as watching Kurt end his international career with the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games marathon gold medal. Luke missed selection for those Games with an elbow injury.

Then aged 20, Luke was looking at major changes to his training environment. 
“The process of following my dreams was one difficult time, I moved to Newcastle from a small area called Wingham in 2019, I left all my friends and family to get the training, support and motivation to follow my dream.”
But it was a major challenge for a younger person.
“Trying to process my mental health was one massive hurdle that I still to this day struggle with, as there are days you just need the love and support around you from family but are unable to.” 

However, Luke coped with the changes, going on to be selected for his Australian debut at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, where he was 7th in the T54 100m in 14.55 seconds. Mid-COVID pandemic during the summer of 2021, Luke was really progressing with a string of 100m PBs, 14.18, followed by 14.15 and then 14.13. It earned him selection for the Tokyo Paralympics where he placed 5th in his T54 100m heat.

Two years on, and when it counted, Luke was back in terrific form in Switzerland in May 2023 where he smashed his PBs across the range. In the 800m he clocked 1:36.43, over 100m he set two PBs 14.12, then 14.06. He also recorded lifetime bests in the quarter mile, three times lowering his best with times of 48.56, then 48.39, and finally 48.24. 

In June he was named in his third consecutive Australia team for the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships where he will race in the T54 100m, 400m and 800m with his best result 9th in the 100m clocking 14.66.

He started 2024 competing at the Para-Athletics World Championships in Kobe, Japan, where he placed an excellent 4th in the T54 100m (14.35) and 9th in the 800m (1:38.36). He was then named on his second Paralympic Games team for Paris where he will start in three events – T54 100m, 400m and 800m.

When acquired impairment: at birth…Most memorable sporting achievement: Making the Australia team in 2019…Hero: Kurt Fearnley…Hobbies: fishing…Sporting Ambition: Win a medal… Biggest challenge faced? Moving away from family and friends for my sport…Managing his mental health: I think realising that it's very normal to have a mental health problem but it's how you deal with it and process things which is different for everyone. The process could be fast for some but slower for others, I say just take one day at a time and take the today on and don't stress about the tomorrow. The support of a coach and a few close friends or family will surprisingly get you the right motivation you need. 

@ 22 Aug 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au