Brendan Burkett

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.

Personal 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, 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 2011, Burkett had successful osseointegration surgery at Macquarie University Hospital performed by Munjed Al Muderis of The Osseointegration Group of Australia.

Swimming career

Burkett first represented Australia at the 1987 Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships, where he won a gold medal in the 100 m butterfly. At the 1992 Barcelona Games, he won a bronze medal in the Men's 50 m Freestyle S9 event. He won a silver medal at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games in the Men's 100 m Freestyle S9 event. He carried the Australian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Games.

Recognition In 1988, Burkett won an Australia Day Sporting Award. In 2000, he received the Professional Engineer of the Year Award from the Institution of Engineers Australia. In 2007, Burkett became a member of Swimming Queensland's Hall of Fame. In 2026, he was awarded the International Paralympic Committee’s Scientific Award, honouring a lifetime of contribution to advancing Para sport and improving outcomes for athletes with a disability.