Swimmer Ali Truwit Makes Paralympics a Year After Losing Lower Leg in Shark Attack

Paralympic swimmer Ali Truwit during an interview with The Associated Press, following practice at Chelsea Piers Athletic Club in Stamford, Conn., on Aug. 2, 2024. Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo

The first step for swimmer Ali Truwit was overcoming her newfound fear of the one place she had always felt safe—the water.

Because the sound of water, any sound involving water, instantly triggered flashbacks to the day she swam for her life after being bitten by a shark.