Brendan Burkett

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 (age 53) 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 Commonwealth Games 1994 Victoria Men's 100 m Freestyle S9

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

Burkett was born on 7 October 1963 as one of six children in Brisbane. He grew up in the Queensland town of Tannum Sands, near Gladstone. 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.

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.

He received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the Central Queensland University in 1985, and a Master of Engineering degree from the Queensland University of Technology in 1986. He also has a PhD in Biomechanics from the Queensland University of Technology. 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.

In 1998, he became a professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast. In 1999, he helped the Australia national rugby union team prepare for that year's Rugby World Cup. 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. As of 25 October 2011^[update], 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. His research areas include human health and performance (including technology and software developments in the area ) and sports biomechanics.