Antony Perry
25 April 2018: Jesse Aungles loved the water from the moment he entered it as an infant. In the 22 years since, his zest for swimming hasn’t waned; if anything, it has become stronger now that he is winning gold medals.
Aungles continued his international ascent earlier this month by finishing first in the SM8 200 metre individual medley final at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, surpassing his silver medal performance at the same event in Glasgow four years ago.
But it’s not just the pride Aungles feels when representing his country or the satisfaction of finishing on the podium that stokes his passion for swimming. It goes deeper than that.
Aungles was born with his right leg 10 per cent shorter than his left and his left leg had no fibula bone and ankle. He was 12 months old when doctors amputated both legs.
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Jesse Aungles' love for the pool hasn't waned since he first jumped in as a one-year-old. Image: John Masiello
Aided by prosthetic legs, the 22-year-old University of Canberra student lives a seemingly normal existence, but it is in the water where he feels most at home, and always has.
“The freedom of being in the water – I don’t wear my prosthetics when I swim and compete – is such a nice state to be in. I love everything about it,” Aungles said.
“It’s always been that way. I started swimming very early in life and they struggled to get me out of the pool after swimming lessons, even as a one-year-old.”
While infants learning to swim is not uncommon, Aungles’ early introduction to the pool was out of necessity.
But what was intended as a way of helping him adjust to his new reality quickly ignited the flame that continues to burn strongly today.
“Learning to use prosthetics involved using muscles I may not have otherwise used, so they put me in the pool to get a bit of activation and I loved it,” he said.
“Growing up, I tried a lot of different sports like wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis, even a bit of sailing, but swimming was the one that stuck with me.”
Aungles burst onto the international scene in 2014, making his debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and winning a silver medal. The following year he swam at the World Championships. In 2016 he earned the title of Paralympian in Rio.
Had it not been for his disability, it’s likely Aungles would have still found love and success in the water – such is his pedigree.
In the 1960s his grandfather held the fastest 400 metre freestyle time in Asia, while today members of his extended family compete as elite triathletes in Ironman events.
“A love of swimming and competing flows through the family,” Aungles said. “I’ve been lucky to have that support and understanding.”
Aungles, who is studying a Bachelor of Politics and International Relations at the University, is still coming down from the elation of winning gold at a Commonwealth Games on home soil, a feat he describes as the highlight of his career to date.
He’ll soon turn his attention to the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Cairns later this year and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics is never far from his mind, but right now he’s focused on his studies.
“I haven’t always found it easy to balance my swimming with studying,” he said. “But being able to call on the support services offered by the University’s elite athletes unit is really helpful.
“I haven’t always utilised those services, but I have been this year. It’s made a huge difference and I’m really enjoying my studies.
“Studying has always been the most important thing to me. It’s the investment that will look after me after my career as an athlete comes to an end.”
