Paralympic Games. the swimmer will compete a year after the shark attack and leg amputation.

He was amputated at the age of 23^e birthday, just one year ago, after being attacked by a shark. And this year, he will swim in the 400 m freestyle at the Paralympic Games in Paris. In May 2023, Ali Truwitt, then 22 years old, was enjoying her vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands with her best friend after finishing school. While the two girls were drowning in the ocean, a shark appeared “out of nowhere” and began attacking them. “We fought, but very quickly the shark had my leg in its mouth, and before I knew it, it had bitten my leg and part of my leg,” the American said in an interview with the broadcast. Good morning America! August 28.

He and his friend then had to swim about 75 meters back to the submersible, where he applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Airlifted to a Miami hospital, Ali Truewit underwent two life-saving surgeries.
And then he was moved back home to a New York hospital to undergo a transtibial amputation on his left leg on May 31, 2023. In an interview with ABC news, he says: “They were very dark, but I’m alive. . That’s what I’m trying to focus on and get back to living the life I’ve been given to the fullest.”

An ordeal to overcome

Over the course of several very difficult months, the young woman had to learn to walk again, love her body, and return to the water after a traumatic episode. “It was very difficult mentally and physically, but with the help of my physiotherapists and my family, we made sure that I gradually got back into my activities,” he said.

Returning to the pool a few weeks after his procedure, the swimmer announced his intention to compete in the Paralympics to his mother, a former captain of the Yale University swim team. He was then affiliated with the USA Paralympic swimming program, where he began training and competing four months after surgery. Weeks in which Ali Truwit trained up to six hours a day, six days a week.

In June, the swimmer qualified in the women’s 400-meter freestyle. “I’m running with the American flag on my head. For me, this is not only a great honor in itself, but also a way to thank the everyday American heroes who helped me save my life and help rebuild it,” concluded the Paralympian. Swimming competitions at the Paralympic Games will take place from August 29 to September 7.