Ali Truwit Wins Silver Medal in Paris Less than 16 Months After Losing Leg in Shark Attack

2024 SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES

• August 28 – September 8, 2024
  • Swimming: August 29 – September 7, 2024
• La Défense Arena – Paris, France
• LCM (50 meters)
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Just 16 months after loosing part of her left leg in a shark attack, former Yale swimmer Ali Truwit can officially call herself a Paralympic medalist as she won silver in the women’s S10 400-meter freestyle. With her time of 4:31.39, Truwit also set a new American Record in the event, breaking Susan Beth Scott’s previous record of 4:33.54.

Truwit’s story is an inspiring one on many different levels. A standout swimmer at Yale, Truwit was on a trip to Turks and Caicos back in May 2023 to celebrate her graduation when diaster struck. While swimming near a charter boat that she and her friends had rented, Truwit was suddenly attacked by a shark. She was able to fight-off the animal and swim back to the boat, but not before the shark bit off a large portion of her left leg, just below the knee. After being airlifted to the hospital, Truwit underwent 3 different operations before doctors amputated the portion of her left leg.

“I think it was survival instinct. It was a terrible day, it’s a terrible memory. It was shocking, terrifying, but I am alive, I am here and I am going to make the most of it,” Truwit told CNN.

Following the attack, Truwit was also left emotionally scarred, recalling times when she experienced a phobia of water, despite her aquatic background. However, that didn’t stop her from re-connecting with former coach James Barone in September 2023 and officially getting back into the pool, racing as a para-swimmer by October 2023.

With her strong background in the sport, Truwit quickly regained her confidence in the water and set her sights on the Paralympic Games in Paris. However, Truwit has said that overcoming her fear is not the goal, “Truthfully, at the start I thought it was going to be something where I overcame the fear and that was it. I have learned from this journey that that is not what this journey looks like. That there will be days it’s great and there will be days I have to fight to get that love back.”

After less than one year of para-swimming, Truwit qualified for the US Paralympic Team in June, making the trip to Paris. With her friends and family in the stands, the same friends who stood beside her during the attack, she entered the pool ready to make an impact. When the race finished, Truwit looked up and saw a “2” next to her name. She had done it. She was a Paralympic medalist. Following the race, Truwit was emotional as she spoke to reporters.

“Sophie, who was in the water with me and tied the tourniquet on my leg and saved my life, is in the stands, as well as Hannah, who was the one who was in medical school rotation at the trauma hospital I was airlifted to,” Truwit said after the race. “I am so lucky for them and all the others in the stands.”