Professor of Sport Science, Sport Scientist for the Australian Paralympic team

Professor of Sport Science Brendan Burkett OAM is the driver behind USC’s High Performance Swimming Program. He works actively with both the able-bodied and Paralympic athletes on the USC Spartans squad, using coaching and biomechanics to optimise performance in the pool. Rio will be the eight Paralympics Brendan has attended – four as a swimmer and four as a sport scientist with the Australian team.

Brendan made his Paralympic debut as a freestyle and butterfly swimmer at the 1988 Seoul Games, and went on to win five medals across four games, including a gold in 1996. He was also given the honour of captaining the Australian team at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996, and was the Opening Ceremony flag bearer at the Sydney games in 2000. Brendan is regarded as one of Australia’s most successful Paralympic athletes.

Turning his passion for sport into an academic career, Brendan is now a leading researcher in the fields of high performance sport, rehabilitation and prosthetic technology in sport. His work with the USC Spartans includes heart rate monitoring, video analysis of swimming technique and body composition assessment, all with the goal of ensuring the swimmers are at their peak.