The World Para Swimming Series stop in Indianapolis continued Friday evening, with the second of the three-day long course meet unfolding.
Para swimming athletes are classified into categories based on the nature and severity of their impairments: physical (S1-S10), visual (S11-S13), and intellectual (S14). This classification system ensures a level playing field by grouping athletes with similar impairments, allowing for fair competition.
At these World Series events, swimmers from different classifications compete in the same races, such as S6-14 in one race and S1-5 or S11-14 in others. However, the swimmer who finishes first is not always the official winner. Instead, the winner is determined by which swimmer comes closest to their own world record within their specific classification, with points awarded using the World Para Swimming Points System.
Morgan Stickney (S7) returned to action for her marquee race—the women’s 400 freestyle (S6-14)—following a bronze-medal effort in the 100 free on Thursday. The reigning Paralympic champion in the S7 category posted a winning mark of 4:55.58 to top the podium, earning 1,043 points. Australia’s Lakeisha Patterson (S9), who swam a faster time of 4:45.01 but earned 961 points, secured 2nd. U.S. teammate Ahalya Lettenberger (S7) finished 3rd with a time of 5:20.81 (901 points).
For Stickney, the key to success was reconnecting with the joy of competition. After a taxing Paralympic cycle that included significant health challenges, simply being back in the pool was a victory in itself.
“It’s so great to be here and to be representing Team USA,” Stickney told U.S. Paralympics. “It’s been a really hard fall, so just to be here, I’m in my happy place. There’s nowhere else I would rather be. I put no pressure on myself, I had no idea where my times would be. I just came into this wanting to have fun, and that’s exactly what I did.”
On the men’s side, Morgan Ray (S6) captured gold in the 100 breaststroke (SB4-9, 11-14), an event where he had placed 4th at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. Ray clocked a time of 1:22.15 (919 points), ahead of Indiana native Aiden Stivers (S9, 867 points), who posted a silver-worthy performance with a time of 1:11.71.
Ray’s perspective has shifted post-Paris. While many of his peers took extended breaks, he chose a six-week mental reset before diving back in.
“Especially with [Paris] being my first Games, it was very mentally taxing,” Ray told U.S. Paralympics. “I’ve re-found my love for the water and am just having so much fun here. I’m keeping a more holistic approach to the sport – and I’m glad I’m realizing this now at only 22 [years old] – but there’s so much more to the sport than just swimming. It’s the impact you can make on other lives too.”
Team USA’s Leanne Smith extended her winning streak with two more victories: the women’s 50 breast (SB4-9, 11-14) and the 50 back (S1-5). She notched a time of 1:01.93 in the 50 back for 742 points and a 1:38.23 in the 50 breast for 641 points. This brings her meet total to four gold medals after she set three S3 world records (50, 100, and 200 free) on Thursday. Smith, 36, who is classified as S3, won four medals at the Paris Paralympics, two of which were at the top of the podium.
American Paralympic medalist Olivia Chambers (S13) claimed the top spot in the women’s 100 breast (SB4-9, 11-14), posting a time of 1:18.24 to edge out Australia’s Ruby Storm (S14) and Canada’s Ali Diehl (S9). Chambers garnered 926 points for her performance and also placed 6th in the 400 free to open the evening.
Brazil’s Gabriel dos Santos Araujo, a five-time Paralympic champion who competes in the S2 classification, impressed in the men’s 50 back (S1-5), recording a winning time of 55.27 (935 points). He has been in top form since returning to competition earlier this year and arrived in Indianapolis after posting a six-medal haul in Barcelona, including four golds. In 2024, Araujo won the men’s overall title for the Para World Swimming series for the second-straight season.
Alberto Caroly Abarza Diaz of Chile was the only other competitor in that 50 back, and the S2-classified athlete logged a time of 1:00.04 to earn 807 points.
In a nail-biting men’s 400 free (S6-14) battle, Italy’s Simone Barlaam (S9) touched 1st with a time of 4:18.35, earning 941 points. Brazil’s Talisson Glock (S6) finished 2nd, clocking 5:07.46 for 939 points, while Koehn Boyd (S10) of the USA also scored 939 points, but took 3rd with a time of 4:07.66.
