Final rosters for the US Paralympic Team won’t be announced for a few weeks. But competition for the bulk of those slots gets underway in earnest in just a few days, when American paraswimmers convene in Minneapolis on June 27 for the Paralympic Trials. US Para Track and Field’s trials get started a few weeks later, on July 18.
Those two sports will account for a huge chunk of the ~250 US athletes who’ll be participating in the Paris Games. And while some Americans have already all but assured themselves a slot on the Paralympic roster, many will have to perform well at the Trials to claim a berth. Here are some of the most interesting performers who’ll be trying to punch their tickets to Paris at the Trials.
FAST LEARNER
Ali Truwit concluded a stellar collegiate swimming career at Yale just over a year ago. Two days after graduation, during a vacation in the Caribbean, she lost her left leg in a shark attack; within six months she was already participating in paraswimming events and hustling to gain the experience (and competition points) necessary to qualify the Paralympic Games. Truwit excels in two high-profile events, the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke, and the top American rival in her classification (S10)—two-time gold medalist Mikaela Jenkins—retired from swimming this spring. A strong showing at Trials will put the final touch on Truwit’s 13-month sprint from traumatic amputation to Paralympic qualification.
PARENT TRAP
As Femita Ayanbeku prepared for the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, she wasn’t worried about merely making the team. She was angling to set a world record in the 100m (T64). A case of COVID during the Games derailed those plans, and a series of subsequent injuries kept Ayanbeku from returning to her peak. When she became pregnant in 2023, Ayanbeku trained hard until just before her due date; she was back at it a few weeks after giving birth to her daughter in early 2024. The Trials will be her first major competition as a new mom.
BY THE BOOK
Desmond Jackson made his first Paralympic team in 2016 and finished 7th in the long jump (T63)—pretty impressive for a high-school kid. He was a newly minted college graduate when he qualified again in 2021, but Jackson was barred from competing in the Games after he tested to positive for performance-enhancing drugs (which Jackson says he unknowingly took on the advice of an unscrupulous coach). Jackson’s now clean, back in good form, and hoping to return to the Paralympic arena. Last week he ran a strong 12.50 in the 100 meters, the 7th-fastest time in the world this year.
PROUD AMERICAN
When he swam at the 2021 Paralympics, Abbas Karimi (S5) was literally stateless—he competed for the International Refugee Paralympic Team, having fled Afghanistan as a teenager to escape the Taliban. Karimi attained US citizenship in 2022 and hopes to return to the Games as a proud member of Team USA. Although he’s the best male US swimmer in his classification, Karimi can’t assume a roster spot. We’ll be rooting for him.
WHERE TO WATCH
US Paralympic Swimming Trials: Event schedule and viewing information at teamusa.com/para-swimming-trials
US Paralympic Track and Field Trials: Event schedule and viewing information at teamusa.com/para-track-and-field-trials
