Alexandra Truwit (born May 31, 2000) is an American Paralympic swimmer. She represented the

United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics The United States competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France, from August 28 to September 8, 2024. Medalists The following U.S. competitors won medals at the games. In the discipline sections below, the medalists' names are bold ...

Early life and education

Truwit attended St. Luke's School in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. About an hour from New York City by train, the town ...

. Her high school did not have a swim team, so she swam for the Chelsea Piers Swim team. She attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and was a member of the

Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving Since its inception in 1898, the Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving program has produced numerous champion athletes. Many Yale swimmers have gone on to earn All-American honors and even break world records. The team has won 4 NCAA The Natio ...

team. She graduated from Yale with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in cognitive science and behavioral economics.

Career

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. On June 30, 2024, she was named to team USA's roster to compete at the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

. She won two Paralympic silver medals: in the women’s S10 400-meter freestyle and 100m backstroke.

Personal life

Truwit's mother, Jody, was captain of Yale's women's swimming and diving team in 1991. In May 2023, two days after graduating from

, Truwit was on a vacation in the

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...

, with her friend Sophie Pilkinton. While snorkeling in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

, she was the victim of a

shark attack A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year, around 80 unprovoked attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of ...

, biting her foot off at the ankle, and part of her leg. 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. On her birthday, May 31, her leg was amputated below her knee to allow for better mobility with a prosthetic.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Truwit, Alexandra 2000 births Living people American female swimmers Sportspeople from Darien, Connecticut Paralympic swimmers for the United States Shark attack victims Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic silver medalists for the United States Paralympic medalists in swimming S10-classified para swimmers Yale Bulldogs women's swimmers 21st-century American sportswomen