Roundup: One Year Later, U.S. Swimmers Reflect On The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
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by Karen Price
Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para swimming. Here’s what you missed!
One Year Ago
It’s already been one year since the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Even some of the athletes who competed there can’t believe it’s already been that long.
Grace Nuhfer, who made her Paralympic debut and won a silver medal, posted: “One year ago and there’s still a loss of words to explain what this continues to mean to me. Forever proud and honored to represent not only Team USA, but everyone who has been in my corner and supported the journey. This is for you 💗”
Here’s a look back at some of Mallory Weggemann’s golden, silver and bronze moments to mark Sept. 7, 2024, when she won her seventh Paralympic medal:
And here’s Jessica Long’s memory: “One year ago today, I won my 17th Paralympic gold medal 🥇 . This moment was everything.”
Olivia Chambers added, “1 year and it still feels unreal.”
Evan Wilkerson had an interesting time at his first Paralympic Games, thanks to a bout with E. coli that left him wondering if he’d be able to compete at all. He reflected on the experience one year ago.
“However, God clearly had plans for me, for my life, and for my competition,” Wilkerson wrote. “He healed me and I was cleared to compete several days before most people thought I would be. To this day I am eternally grateful to the friends who prayed for me throughout this time. It was in this time that I truly realize that I cannot do what I do alone, and that if we are to be successful, God must be the center of all things.”
Read his whole post:
Wilkerson shared more about his experience with USParaSwimming.org.
Fellow first-time Paralympian Yaseen El-Demerdash didn’t let the one-year mark pass without sharing a memory:
And Morgan Ray drew inspiration from a timeless classic to share his favorite memory from Paris:
You can also read more about that historic silver medal performance in the mixed 4x50-meter freestyle 20-point relay here.
And about the mixed 4x50-meter medley 20-point relay here.
Finally, Ali Truwit went from a life-altering shark attack to Paris Paralympian a little more than a year later. TeamUSA.com caught up with the former Yale swimmer to revisit this remarkable journey.
“I remember getting chills walking down and tearing up a little bit because I was like, that is the craziest kind of comparison of the year,” Truwit told Team USA. “A year ago, I was learning how to take my first steps in a prosthetic leg... and now I’m walking in the opening ceremony of the Paralympics.”
First Day Of School
Morgan Stickney will soon be off to Singapore to compete in her third world championships, but first things first! Stickney’s one of the newest students at Tufts University School of Medicine, and she’s smiling ear to ear in the photo she shared.
Stickney wrote: “Mandatory first day of school photo! Tufts University School of Medicine has been my dream school since I was a kid. I can’t wait to see what this new chapter in my life holds! Never stop dreaming”
Stickney’s not the only one who shared her first day of classes. Check out Maria Francescotti’s photo from her first day of college at Loyola University Maryland, where she’ll also soon begin a collegiate swimming career:
Documenting The Journey
Katie Kubiak’s ready to make her world championships debut, and her hometown TV station in Wisconsin recently featured her on a segment.
Kubiak shared the video on her Instagram, writing, “Less than two weeks until competition starts in Singapore, and I’m so excited to share the Hometown Athlete segment Lance Allan and the team at CBS 58 shot while I was back home in WI. Honored to have been featured and looking forward to see what Worlds holds for Team USA!”
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.
