Olivia Chambers Breaks Two Of Her Own S13 Para American Records

Courtesy: UNI Athletics

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI swimmer Olivia Chambers set two new Para American swimming records in UNI’s own backyard this weekend, breaking one of her own records and recording a new best-time by an S13 American swimmer.

Competing at the Black Hawk Area Swim Team’s (BLAST) Summer Sizzler, Chambers, a visually impaired, S13 classified swimmer, began her record setting weekend by breaking her own Para American record in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 5:12.62 on Thursday. Chambers then broke the S13 American record in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:31.50, topping Rebecca Meyers’ time by 0.49 seconds from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Little Rock, Arkansas native now holds six Para American records since beginning Para Swimming competition in May 2022.

Chambers originally set her 400-meter IM record last summer at the USA Swimming Futures Championships in Minneapolis. Her four additional Para American record were set in short course competition, including the 400-yard I.M. (4:29.27 at the 2022 Kansas Classic), the 200-yard butterfly (2:10.99 at the 2023 Coyote Invite), the 50-yard backstroke (26.52) and the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:20.93), with the latter two being set at February’s Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Iowa City.

Chambers is slated to compete at the World Para Swimming Championships at the end of July in Manchester, England, where she will swim in six events. The meet serves as a precursor to next summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris, France.

Last December, Chambers became UNI’s first-ever Paralympic swimming national champion, winning the 400-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Paralympic Swimming National Championships in Charlotte. Her breakout performance also earned her Swimmer of the Meet honors by virtue of accumulating the best overall point total among competing swimmers.

Chambers’ first international competition came last October at the Citi Para Swimming World Series event in Mexico, claiming silver in the 400-meter freestyle and bronze in the 100-meter butterfly. She also swam at the Para World Series meet in Minneapolis in April, winning bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke and 400-meter freestyle, while earning gold in the 200-meter individual medley.

An All-MVC honoree at the 2023 MVC Championships, Chambers took seventh place in the 1650-yard freestyle, and also placed 20th in the 500-yard freestyle with a personal best performance.

She is the daughter of Alison and Brad Chambers, and is currently majoring in biology.