Leo McCrea
Leo McCrea is a British-Swiss Paralympic swimmer. He represented Switzerland at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, where he won a gold medal in the Swimming at the [2024 Summer Paralympics – Men's 100 metre breaststroke SB5|100 metre breaststroke SB5] event.
Early life and career
McCrea was born on 9 November 2003 with achondroplasia. He is from Poole, England; his father is from England and his mother, Corinne, is from Switzerland. He started swimming at the age of 6, inspired by his older sister, Jasmine. He started his competitive career at age 8, with Val Simmonds, Ellie Simmonds' mother, recommending that he join a club. He won multiple honours at the 2011 World Dwarf Games. McCrea is a Bournemouth University student.2019–2021: Tokyo Summer Paralympics
Since April 2019, McCrea has represented Switzerland in international competitions. He competed in the 2019 [World Para Swimming Championships] in London, where he participated in the 2019 [World Para Swimming Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle|50 m freestyle S6], 100 m breaststroke SB6, 100 m freestyle S6, 100 m freestyle S6, 200 m individual medley SM6, and 400 m freestyle categories. He finished 8th in the final of the 400 m freestyle. McCrea competed in the 2020 World Para Swimming [European Open Championships] in Funchal, Portugal, where he entered the 2020 [World Para Swimming European Open Championships – Men's 50 metre freestyle|50 m freestyle S6], 100 m breaststroke SB5, and 400 m freestyle S6 categories. He reached the finals in all of these events.McCrea qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. He participated in the Swimming at the [2020 Summer Paralympics – Men's 100 metre freestyle S6|100 m freestyle S6], 100 m breaststroke SB5, Swimming at the 2020 Summer Paralympics – Men's [200 metre individual medley SM6|200 m individual medley SM6], and 400 m freestyle S6 events. He reached the final of the 100 m breaststroke SB5 event, where he placed 5th.
2022–2024: Paris Summer Paralympics
He competed at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Portugal, in the 50 m freestyle S6, 100 m breaststroke SB5, and 100 m freestyle S6. He earned a silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke SB5 and reached the finals in the 100 m freestyle S6. At the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester, England, McCrea participated in the 100 m breaststroke SB5, where he won a silver medal, and the 100 m freestyle S6 events.At the 2024 World Para Swimming European Open Championships in Funchal, he won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke SB5 event and he competed in the 200 m individual medley SM6 event. He qualified for the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France. He won a gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke SB5 event and he competed in the 200 m individual medley SM6 event.