Swimmer Ali Truwit Makes It to Paralympics One Year After Losing Leg in Shark Attack While Snorkeling

Swimmer Ali Truwit makes the Paralympics a year after losing his lower leg in a shark attack while snorkeling.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Aug 27, 2024 | 07:45 PM IST | 40.4K

Ali Truwit [Credit-Instagram@alitruwit]

The first stage for swimmer Ali Truwit was to overcome her sudden dread of the water, where she had always felt comfortable.

Because the sound of water, or anything involving water, immediately brought back memories of the day she swam for her life after being bitten by a shark.

On May 24, 2023, Truwit and a companion were snorkeling in the seas near the Turks and Caicos when a shark charged and bit her lower left leg. Truwit, bleeding while the shark was circling, went into competitive swim mode and raced 75 yards to the boat's safety.

Truwit was transported to the hospital and evacuated to the United States, where she underwent three operations, one of which involved amputating her left leg below the knee.

She went to the family's backyard pool to rekindle her love of water. She waded up to her waist, resisted her dread, and regained control. The dive began her rehabilitation journey and led her to Paris for the Paralympics.

“I love comeback stories,” said the 24-year-old from Darien, Connecticut, who qualified for Paris in the 100 free, 400 free and the 100 back. “I’ve definitely relied on other people’s comeback stories to help me hold on to what feels like a bold and unrealistic hope — of fighting off a shark and surviving and losing a limb and making the Paralympics all in a year.”

Her summer plan included fun and excitement before beginning at a consulting business.

Truwit had recently graduated from Yale following a four-year letter-winning swimming career. She started things off by running a marathon with her mother on Mother's Day.

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The next item on the agenda is to visit friends for some sun on the beaches of Turks & Caicos. She went snorkeling with Yale teammate and dear friend Sophie Pilkinton in an area free of sharks.

On their way back to the boat, an angry shark appeared and began banging them. “We tried to fight back,” Truwit said.

What seemed to be a bull shark attacked her on the foot and lower thigh. “My immediate thought was, ‘Am I crazy or do I not have a foot right now?’” Truwit said. “It was a really hard image for me. But you move immediately into action.”

Remain calm. Maintain consciousness. Simply go to the boat. That was all she thought about as she and Pilkinton rushed through the water, acutely aware that the shark was still around.

Pilkinton used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding once he arrived aboard the boat.

Truwit was then evacuated to a Miami trauma facility for two infection-fighting procedures. She was sent to a hospital in New York, where on her 23rd birthday, she had a transtibial (below-the-knee) amputation.

She resumed competing around 3 1/2 months after the attack. It was early, but important, to establish specific requirements to compete for a Paralympic seat. To assist her, she paired up with Jamie Barone, her club coach.

She qualified for the national swimming championships in Orlando, Florida, where she competed in freestyle and backstroke. In April, she traveled to Portugal for an international competition, her first excursion outside the country since the shark attack. Her mother was present when she excelled in the 400 free S10 division.