I have swum my last event in the Water Cube! On the final day of competition, I swam my 50 backstroke race with a time in pre-lims that got me back to finals seeded 8th. At finals, I beat my morning swim and almost broke my old American record in that event with a time of 1:17.97. It was an incredible honor to represent the U.S. in the finals for the second time. Even though the Paralympic Swim program has been going on for 9 days, I think many of us are still in shock that we are finished. After training for so long, these meets seem to just fly by! But, I had an incredible time and I am proud of my swims. Thank you to Becca Agoglia, Steph Morawski and the entire Harvard Women's Swimming and Diving team and alumni for giving me the best training I could imagined.
Although my work in Beijing is done, we do not leave until the 19th, so the swim team has a few days to go into the city before Closing Ceremonies. Stay tuned for the conclusion and final photos of the trip!
2 comments:
Beth -
I waited with much anticipation to read your current, and updated, post. Your participation is a major league experience in your beloved sport of swimming. You may never pass this way again. Yet the time you spent training, the challenges you confronted you, the obstacles you overcame, the remarkable resiliency you displayed throughout this journey, and the incredible focus you kept on this seemingly elusive goal has proven that you succeeded where others could not and where many others could merely dream of going. You are indeed a winner in this thing we call life! You will no doubt inspire other young women to strive to achieve the lofty goal you have achieved far into the future. Never underestimate your worthiness in this particular endeavor towards its wondrous meaning to the folks who worked alongside you and to those who supported you. I had the good fortune of meeting a Paralympian swimmer for the first time! I am happy for you that your mom, Brittany and Garth witnessed your Olympic competition! Enjoy your journey the rest of the way.
Best Always,
Girard
Beth-
WOW You are a WINNER! You nay not have brought home any medals this quest- but you always have the ability to tell everyone that you are a USA Paralympian. You have done what most of us can only dream about. I will never be able to say that I'm ranked in the world in the 50 backstroke- but you can. Thank you for sharing with us your experience.
Take Care and God Bless Always,
Deb Burke
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