 | A request that this article title be changed toAli TruwitAli Truwit isunder discussion. Pleasedo not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname | Ali | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (2000-05-31)May 31, 2000 (age 25)[1] Darien, Connecticut, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Education | Yale University | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paralympic swimming | |||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | S10 | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Alexandra Truwit (born May 31, 2000) is an AmericanParalympic swimmer. She represented theUnited States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Truwit attendedSt. Luke's School inNew Canaan, Connecticut.[2] Her high school did not have a swim team, so she swam for the Chelsea Piers Swim team.[3]
She attendedYale University and was a member of theYale Bulldogs swimming and diving team.[4] She graduated from Yale with aBachelor of Science degree in cognitive science and behavioral economics.[5]
During the 2024 United States Paralympic trials, Truwit set an American record in the 100 m backstroke S10 event with a time of 1:08.98.[6] On June 30, 2024, she was named to team USA's roster to compete at the2024 Summer Paralympics.[7][8][9] She won two Paralympic silver medals: in the women’s S10 400-meter freestyle and 100m backstroke.[10]
Truwit's mother, Jody, was captain of Yale's women's swimming and diving team in 1991.[3] In May 2023, two days after graduating fromYale University, Truwit was on a vacation in theTurks and Caicos Islands, with her friend Sophie Pilkinton. While snorkeling in theCaribbean Sea, she was the victim of ashark attack, biting her foot off at the ankle, and part of her leg.[11] She then had to swim 50 to 75 yards to get back to their boat for safety. After returning to the boat, Pilkinton stopped the bleeding on Truwit's leg by applying a tourniquet, helping to save her life. She was then airlifted to a Miami hospital and underwent two life-saving surgeries to help fight infections.[12][13] On her birthday, May 31, her leg was amputated below her knee to allow for better mobility with a prosthetic.[14][15]
