“Win Some Medals”: American Swimmer Sets Sights on Paris Paralympics 2024 With Inspiring Letter to Her Future Self

When it comes to swimming, the legs and hands are considered the most important parts of the body. However, the American Swimming prodigy proved this notion wrong as she swam with the help of her amputated legs. Hailing from Vietnam, Haven is well known for the Swimming gold she achieved last year at Santiago. 

Despite pouring all her efforts, Haven could not clinch any medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As the 2024 Paris Olympics is on its verge, the American Paralympic swimmer is eyeing achieving medals. Interestingly, she is aiming to overcome the obstacles she faced last time to take redemption this year. 

From Past to her Future self ahead of Paris Paralympics 2024

Recently, team USA took it to their official Instagram account and posted a short clip of Paralympic swimmer Haven Shepherd where she shared insights about the upcoming big event along with an inspiring letter to her future self. Along with the clip, team USA penned, “Just be you.” ❤️ Paralympic swimmer @havenfaithshepherd pens a letter to her Past and future self ahead of @paris2024.“

Haven has always been an inspiration for athletes all across the globe. The major reason behind this is that even though she fails, she never misses standing up again on her feet. Back in 2020, at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, Haven concluded the event with a fifth rank because of immense pressure. 

In the same video, Shepherd said, ” Going into Paris, I hope you don’t put pressure on yourself to be that perfect girl, and I hope you just be you and win some medals. I felt like I was writing to myself, not in the future, but to my past.” She also revealed how she has learned to overcome the immense pressure of competing at the highest stage.

When she first stepped into the Paralympic pools, she was 18 and had immense pressure on herself. She added, “Going into Tokyo, I went in with all these pressures, not from anybody else, from myself to be this perfect kid, but now growing out of that and being an adult now.” Learning from herself and her previous mistakes, Haven will embark on the road to Paris with almost no expectations this year. However, her incredible journey indeed raises the expectation.

Losing legs to gaining a podium finish: An incredible journey

Hailing from Vietnam, Haven was adopted when she was 20 months old. Despite having lost her lower legs to a bomb planted by her parents to commit suicide, Haven survived to come up at the Paralympics and inspire people with her awe-inspiring journey. “I knew I could give it all that I had on the last day— and that’s all I had,” Sphered paved their path to accumulating remarkable experience in the pool while clinching her first Parapan American Games gold last year in Santiago.

She stood atop the podium after missing out three times at the championships. With her unwavering determination, Shepherd is now eyeing the upcoming Paris Paralympics 2024. But there is one more stop before that.

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Before the Paralympic games from June 27 to 29, Haven will most probably be making an appearance at the Citi Para Swimming World Series USA and Bill Keating Cincinnati Para-Swimming Open in April and May to get her coveted spot in Paris. Will Haven be able to overcome pressure this time to take redemption this year? 

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