RThe 20-year-old South Australian arm amputee continued basking in the glow of his eight medals won in the Water Cube at the Beijing Paralympics by collecting the prestigious male athlete-of-the-year award from the International Paralympic Committee. He was also named Young South Australian of the Year for his successes in Beijing, where his five gold medals were all recorded in world record times. Cowdrey was expected to dominate this year’s Australian championships ... and he did, taking out the multi-disability 50m freestyle final on the opening night, stopping the clock in 25.68 seconds. He then had comfortable wins in the 200m individual medley and the 100m butterfly. Those three successes came despite a very light – virtually non-existent – preparation as he wound down from Beijing. Will Swanton
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