Australian swimmer Kelly hails 'extraordinary' mother

No matter what happens at the Rio Paralympics, Australian swimmer Ahmed Kelly is thankful simply for the chance to compete.

Kelly and his brother Emmanuel were left at an orphanage by their parents after being born with limb deficiencies in Iraq.

A visit to Baghdad by Australian humanitarian Moira Kelly changed everything for the siblings, and in 1998 they relocated to Melbourne with their adoptive mother.

"What my mom Moira does is quite extraordinary, bringing kids from all over the world that need life-saving operations," the 24-year-old told the Paralympic News Service.

"She has done an awesome job. She brought me and my brother over for our own surgery and I pretty much haven't looked back since."

Surgery to remove the deformed sections of his lower limbs allowed Kelly to walk with prosthetic legs.

It also meant that he could play the sport he grew to love, Australian rules football.

Despite his fearlessness, Kelly was forced to give up the game while still a teenager when the physical demands proved too much.

That's when he decided to take up swimming, and he hasn't looked back since.

After competing at the London 2012 Paralympics, Kelly qualified for four races at the Rio 2016 Games. His final event will be men's 50m backstroke S4 on Friday.

He said he had been given extra motivation in Rio by the presence of his mother, who made the long trip from Australia to watch him.

"She's not really a big sports fan, but what I love about her is that she always gives her very best and always puts others first," Kelly said of his mother.

"That's what I admire about her, never putting herself first, which is quite extraordinary. What she does and how driven she is, she's pretty much put that on to me.

"My mom has always had those values of treating each other with respect and trying to be as fair as possible. They are great values and that's something I've really worked hard to live by as well."

Kelly is not the only member of his family with an inspirational story to tell. His brother Emmanuel also overcame limb deficiencies to sing on Australia's X-Factor television program.

Meanwhile his two Bangladesh-born sisters, Trishna and Krishna, were born as conjoined twins before being separated through surgery.

"They are remarkable siblings," Kelly said. "They themselves had to conquer their own challenges and I'm very proud of all three of them." Endit