Paralympian, spokesperson, teacher aide - Alberto Campbell
Class of 2012
When Alberto Campbell (Class of 2012) took his mark in the T20 men’s 400m heat at the Tokyo Paralympics this year, he was not alone. A contingent of Citipointe supporters were watching from their living rooms, praying and cheering on “the running man”.
Our community was excited; praying and hoping for a wonderful outcome for our much-loved Primary Teacher Aide.
The competition was steep and to earn a place in the final, Alberto would need to run a personal best time.
Like some of the competitors in his heat, Albert’s preparation for the games was not ideal. Due the pandemic, he had not been able to attend major running events around the world, key for optimal performance.
Awed by the opportunity to race against the fastest men in his category in the world, and feeling underprepared, Alberto launched into the race, running well, but placing seventh in his heat.
“Always remember in any sport, anything can happen,” says Alberto. “I’ve been reminding myself that at every race I run. Except for Tokyo [where] I didn’t remind myself; I was too excited. I was in the moment thinking, ‘I can’t be racing against all these brilliant runners.’”
It was the athletes who could prepare with international competitions leading up to the games, who performed extremely well.
“I was really happy for them even though a few of us didn’t achieve what we wanted to achieve.
“I wanted to do better than what I did over there, but I had a few people reminding me, ‘Hey, it’s your first Paralympics, you went there, and you represented your birth country. You should be really happy that you got to your first Paralympics and that you did your best.’ So that did help a lot.”
This was the first time Alberto had competed for his country of birth, Jamaica.
He says representing his birth country was a huge honour; and becoming a Paralympian was very significant for him. Alberto ran a time of 51.55, which boosted his world ranking from 22, to 13, making him the thirteenth fastest man in the world in his category.
When he learned of the improvement, Alberto said, “Okay, all right. I’m motivated now. Let’s see where I can end up in three years’ time with my ranking.”
Alberto says another blessing from God, which came out of his experience at the Paralympics, was reconnecting with a childhood friend. Theodore Suba, also part of the Jamaican team, competed in the Judo 100kg+ Classification (Visual Impairment).
Alberto spent time with Theodore in a Jamaican orphanage before being adopted by Citipointe teachers Paul and Julie-Anne Staines who were serving there.
It is a story of incredible love and commitment, and a testimony of God’s favour, as Paul and Julie-Anne took Alberto’s adoption case to the High Court of Australia and won.
It was in Australia, where Alberto and his adoptive parents learned that he has an intellectual disability, a result of malnutrition during his early years.
While a student at Citipointe, Alberto completed different work to his peers to accommodate his disability. This made him uneasy as he hadn’t quite accepted his disability yet.”
“Then I think [in] Year 11 and 12, I started to accept it. Because I was like, ‘You know what, this is who I am going to be for the rest of my life.’ I was like, ‘I might as well start to accept it.’ So, I did.”
Talent championed at Citipointe
Alberto has always been fast. When he joined Citipointe as a student in Year 3, and participated in his first athletics carnival, it was clear to PE Teacher Mr Peter Thorndike that Alberto had talent.
Supported by his parents and Citipointe, Alberto progressed through representative running, eventually taking time out of his school day to train and compete at the highest level in school sport.
Among Alberto’s mainstay supporters were Citipointe’s Secondary staff and he now enjoys bumping into them on campus as colleagues. Teacher Aide Mrs Grace Dowie, History Teacher Mr David England, and Coordinator of Languages Mr Joel Alexis, all took an interest in Alberto’s training, often asking him how his running was going.
Alberto refers to Primary HPE Teacher Mr Dean Le Petit as his “Aussie brother” and has been his spiritual mentee for many years. Alberto credits Primary Teacher Mr Marty O’Sullivan as his first coach, and calls Mr O’Sullivan taking him to his first school district competition in Year 4.
Another memorable moment, this time in Secondary, was the teacher versus student relay in Year 12. Alberto enjoyed racing against his teachers, and fondly recalls a “showdown” with Head of Technology Mr Peter Hollyock. It was light-hearted event where Alberto’s sense of fun, generous sportsmanship and talent shone.
Journey to the Paralympics
Competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo is a dream realised for Alberto.
When he graduated from Citipointe, he was inspired by the 2012 Olympics and the Paralympics and resolved to pursue a future in running.
“Having this God given ability, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it when I left school. I think it was towards the end of Year 12 [when] I realised, I wanted to continue with running, I want to see where it would take me. And my goal … was to run at the Paralympics.”
With training by coach Wayne Lever at Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) and support from family and friends, Alberto continued to excel in running.
Notable achievements include winning gold, silver and bronze medals in 400m races at athletics championships around the world.
In a testimony to his talent, character, and rapport with people, Alberto was selected as the Australian team captain for the 2017 Athletic World Championships organised by INAS (International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability). He appeared in the promotional images for the INAS Global Games 2019 in Brisbane, where he represented Australia and placed fourth in the 400m.
He was also selected to represent Australia in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio but was disappointed when the opportunity did not eventuate.
“I thought my dream had come true with my first Paralympics, in 2016, in Rio. But Australia had to cut half of the team. I was one of those people who missed out. I was very, very devastated, very sad. Literally I felt like giving up because I was like, ‘I don’t think I’ll ever run at my first Paralympics.’”
Alberto has used this experience to motivate young people as a spokesperson at schools and churches. Reflecting on the advice he gives students, he says, “Runners at that level, well, we can have our moments, or we cannot have our moments. No matter what happens in life, just keep going. Just remember if you don’t achieve it that day, you got the rest of your life to achieve it.”
Seeking an opportunity to compete at the 2020 Paralympics, Alberto approached the Jamaican team, expressing his desire to run for his country of birth. Then the games were postponed due to the pandemic.
“Honestly I was so disappointed because I didn’t know if I was going to go or not.”
“[Then] God blessed me by giving me another chance in a way that I wasn’t expecting. The Jamaican team manager emailed me back earlier this year, saying, ‘We would love to have you run for us at the Paralympics.’ I was like, ‘Thank you, Lord, my dream is going to come true.’”
Giving God the glory
When Alberto talks about running, God is always part of the conversation.
“Every race that I do, it’s actually not my race. It’s God’s race. Because He’s the one that gave me this talent. So, it’s His race and no matter what happens in the race, I still give Him the glory.
“It’s great sharing stories about God with people who aren’t believers and it’s just amazing how much God has done for me and, and my parents and all my supporters as well.”
Influencing our community
To inspire students and encourage Alberto, Citipointe Primary invited students to write letters to Alberto while he was at the Paralympics. Students shared their excitement in Mr Campbell and said they were inspired to do things they never thought they would be able to do.
“It’s just been amazing reading those letters and seeing pictures of the track and, I’m really touched. I will treasure those letters from all those kids for the rest of my life.”
Inspiring children who have a disability is important to Alberto, but he is pleased to learn that his story can inspire everyone.
In his role as a teacher aide, Alberto assists HPE teachers during classes. He works mostly with students in Prep to Year 2, explaining exercises and helping them to develop their skills. Students love to engage with Alberto, drawn to his fun-loving nature and encouragement.
Training for the next Paralympics
When not working at Citipointe, Alberto trains four days a week at the Queensland Academy of Sport. He is preparing for the 2022 World Para Athletic Championships in Japan. He is also working toward the Paralympics in 2024, aiming to get as many training sessions and major races in as possible before then.
“So, it’s been an amazing journey and I know there’s more to come. I know God has got so much more up ahead in my future with running and I’m looking forward to it.
