A Transformative Last Few Years Has Noah Jaffe Eager to See What Comes Next

Noah Jaffe has undergone a transformative few years. 

The Para swimmer from Carlsbad, California, took time off from college to train full-time for the 2024 Paralympic Games, won a pair of medals in Paris and then returned to school at the University of California, Berkeley after the Games. 

Now that he’s finished his undergraduate degree, medical school is in his future. But so is, he hopes, another shot at the Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028. 

So how will these next two and a half years play out?  

“I don’t really know what I’m going to do next, and that’s the exciting part,” said Jaffe, 22. “I have the freedom to figure out what I want to do and how I want to approach the next few years.” 

While balancing a biochemistry major at Cal with training largely on his own, Jaffe reached a turning point after a breakout performance at the 2023 world championships. He decided to fully commit to making the 2024 Paralympic team, hit pause on school, and moved to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 

The dedication paid off, as Jaffe won a silver medal in Paris in his signature event, the men’s 100-meter freestyle S8. The race was a nail-biter to the wall as Australia’s Callum Simpson won gold in 58.23 seconds and Jaffe touched in 58.25. 

“I don’t think there’s anything I could have done differently,” Jaffe said. “Even though it was so close, I’m really proud of the race I put in. I was two one-hundredths off a gold, and you could look at that and be disappointed, but I was also three one-hundredths in front of bronze. I’m just really proud of that performance.” 

Jaffe also won bronze as part of the 4x100-meter freestyle mixed 34 points relay, which happened to be the final event of the meet. 

“It was a special atmosphere in the call room, not just us but everyone in that race” he said. “Exciting, but in a different way. It was very celebratory, even though we hadn’t raced yet.” 

Looking back on Paris as a whole, Jaffe said what struck him most was the Paralympic Village. Being surrounded by more than 4,000 fellow athletes with disabilities — and for the first time experiencing that level of accessibility — had a lasting impact. He returned home energized and eager to share his story of how swimming, Team USA and the Paralympic Movement has impacted his life by taking on a new challenge: speaking engagements. 

“Growing up, my disability was never something I really talked about with anyone, which wasn’t the healthiest way to go about life,” said Jaffe, who has cerebral palsy. “But I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable talking about that aspect of my identity, and as a result people I’m close to have changed their mindset a little as well, which I’m really grateful for because I do think it’s a part of me and not something I would change if I could.” 

One of the highlights of this year for Jaffe was competing in his second world championships. He made a name for himself two years earlier in Manchester, England, by winning his first world title (in the men’s 100 freestyle S8) as well as one silver and two bronze medals. He didn’t medal this year in Singapore, but he did finish in the top five in all five of his events plus swam a few personal bests, including a big time drop in one of his new favorite events, the 200 IM. 

“I had people ask me afterwards, ‘Are you disappointed with how you did?’ because they saw that I won medals in the past” he said. “Technically I’ve had better overall performances, but I really didn’t see any aspect of my performance this year as a negative. I was really proud of all my races, especially in the year after the Games. I went a few best times, and I think that’s just a testament to how competitive Para swimming is becoming, and that’s always great to see.” 

Between his performance in Singapore, speaking more publicly about disability and identity, and graduating from college, Jaffe accomplished so much this year. 

It’s exactly the type of year that Jaffe believes is helping prepare him for something even greater.  

“I think this year was a building year,” Jaffe said “I think in all aspects of my life — school, swimming, and other stuff — it’s just kind of figuring out where I want to go next, and that’s an important step. It might not have been as exciting as last year with Paris, but in order to get to that kind of excitement you need to have years like this. I think it’s setting me up well for the future and I’m really looking forward to it.” 

Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.