Even though Saskatoon’s Shelby Newkirk was able to make her Paralympic debut back in 2021, it was a year which was one of the toughest she faced mentally.
These days, the world record holder in the S6 50m backstroke has a new appreciation for para-swimming which comes just in time for her second Paralympics in Paris.
“I feel like I’ve just finally found my love of the sport again,” said Newkirk. “I’ve found a safety in the water again and I feel like it’s just kind of been ramping up. I’ve been able to break world records since, I’ve been a two-time world champion in the 100m backstroke. I also got to get a bronze medal in the 50m free last year, coming from Tokyo in 50 free I was ninth.”
Since Tokyo, Newkirk has become a force on the international stage with her trio of World Championship medals.
All that’s missing for the 28-year-old, according to Saskatoon Lasers Swim Club head coach Ryan Jones, is a podium appearance at the Paralympic level.
“There’s been a lot of little things that have gone into it,” said Jones. “Those little one-per cent, two-per cent improvements or a little let’s work on this, let’s change this. It’s made a difference and those are the little things that we were looking at as we go into this summer.”
Diagnosed with a progressive neurological disorder as a teenager called dystonia, Newkirk has since become one of Canada’s top medal threats in the pool and is also helping to coach young swimmers with the Lasers program.
Regardless of her performance in Paris, she said it’s a much happier path that she’s on in 2024 — a path which continues to lead her right back to the water.
“This is what I want to do,” said Newkirk. “This is where I feel safe, this is where I feel comfortable and this is where I can push myself. The water is the only place where I don’t need mobility devices, I don’t need my wheelchair. I can just be me and I can just be competitive.
“I really like that.”
Newkirk will open her Paralympics on Aug. 29 with the S6 50m freestyle, which will be followed up with the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke later on in the competition in September.