The Para Swimming World Series recently touched down in Indianapolis, and many of the nation’s greatest Para swimmers staked claim to wins across the three day competition. On a national level in the United States, Paralympic swimming has not received the enthusiasm it rightfully deserves.
Jessica Long is one of the greatest Paralympians in history, having amassed 33 medals across her illustrious ongoing career. And yet, ask the casual swim fan, and they likely won’t know much about Long.
At the TYR Pro Swim Series in Sacramento, a startling example of this lack of context for general audiences stuck out. Swimming out of the B-Final of the 200 butterfly, Akron’s Grace Nuhfer shattered the S13 world record with a 2:22.78. She accomplished the feat swimming by herself.
On a national level, Para & Non-Para athletes rarely compete at the same meet. That is not the case when looking at international competitions.
International Trials
Australia is a stellar example of bringing Para competition to the spotlight. At the country’s 2024 Olympic Trials, the Paralympic Trials were conducted alongside as a unified competition. Not only does this approach allow more eyes on the Para athletes, it allows for greater unity in swimming competition.
By bringing these two sectors of the sport together, Australia has paved a way for all of the athletes involved to motivate each other. At the recent Australian Championships, another competition with both sectors of the sport competing alongside each other, Paralympic champion Alexa Leary clipped her own S9 world record in the 100 freestyle, going 59.22. That time was faster than her gold medal swim less than a year ago in Paris.
British Trials takes this a step further. At the British Worlds Trials just last month, there were three finals of each event – a Junior final, a Para final, and an Open final.
A Much Needed Positive Change
Melding Paralympic and Non-Para competition would do a lot of good to expand the scope of the swimming community. Para swimmers are accomplishing feats rivaling that of their Non-Para counter parts, albeit in different fields. 2024 Paralympic silver medalist Morgan Ray commented on the importance of bringing able-bodied and Para athletes together.
“Competing at the same meets (Trials, Nationals, Pro Series, U.S. Open, etc.) alongside our able-bodied counterparts shows to everyone that we are on the SAME level,” Ray said. “We’re elite athletes at the top of our sport. Other sports like Track & Field and Cycling have combined Para and Able-bodied. It would be great to see this happen in our sport.”
A simple way to bring more eyes onto Paralympic swimming would be through an extension of competitions. The Paralympics take place just a few weeks following Olympic competition at the same pool. A similar follow through on a World Aquatics level could prove dividends to aquatic viewership as a whole. Currently, Para Worlds and Non-Para Worlds take place in different cities and venues across the world.
In 2022, Para and Non-Para athletes competed on a relay for the very first time at the Duel in the Pool in Australia. It was a historic moment that unfortunately was singular in nature. With a home Olympics approaching, the United States has the opportunity to both follow and set an example as other parts of the world by united Para and Non-Para athletes at a single competition.
I was at the duel in the pool in 2022 and it was awesome to see both categories of athletes in relays together!
In the US, para swimmers are treated as an afterthought, while several other countries have been holding combined events for years. Contrast the Nationals, Trials, and training camp experiences of US para swimmers and non-para swimmers over the last three cycles. It’s quite pathetic. The “able bodied” swimmers just competed in the gorgeous Fort Lauderdale Hall of Fame complex, and will have their Nationals in Indy at one of the country’s fastest pools. The para swimming Nationals are being held in Boise, Idaho at a facility that seats about 800 (in bleachers on the pool deck). It’s not even an actual building; it’s a pool in an “enclosure.” Is it too much to ask that para swimmers get equitable treatment in competition and other opportunities? Just benchmark how other countries have done it. It’s not rocket science. USATF is hosting a combined Nationals meet this summer.