It was less than 18 months ago that Ali Truwit‘s life was flipped upside down while on a post-graduation vacation in Turks and Caicos.
A former member of the Yale swim team, Truwit and teammate Sophie Pilkinton were attacked by a shark while snorkeling, and Truwit’s foot was bitten off at the ankle.
“We kicked and shoved back, but it bit through my foot and we had to swim 50 to 75 yards back to the boat to save ourselves,” Truwit said, according to U.S. Para Swimming. “Without that training (at Yale), I’m not sure we would have made it back to the boat in the open ocean. In a story where a really unlucky thing happened, there was a lot of luck in who was around me.”
Fast forward to the 2024 Paralympic Games, where the 24-year-old Truwit picked up two medals, including setting a new American Record in the women’s 400 freestyle S10.
After posting a time of 4:35.09 at the U.S. Trials, Truwit showed marked improvement in Paris, breaking the American Record in a time of 4:31.39 en route to the silver medal.
“It’s a real full circle moment and speaks to the support I have all around me,” she said post-race. “When you are truly faced with death and you understand what a second chance at life means, you want to make the most of it.”
Truwit also won silver in the women’s 100 back S10, breaking another American Record in a time of 1:08.59.
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