At 9:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 16, the Town of Darien and The Corbin District are planning a townwide send-off to Darien’s paralympic athlete, Ali Truwit. Truwit is headed to Paris to compete in three swimming events.
— an announcement from the First Selectman’s Office
Spectators are asked to come line the sidewalk on Boston Post Road between Center Street and Corbin Drive and cheer for Ali as she heads off to compete for our country.
Photo from Team USA website
Ali Truwit
This will be a wonderful time to show community spirit and pride as we send off an inspirational young woman to represent the United States and Darien to the world.
“Ali Truwit is star in the true sense of the word,” First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said. “She has shown us all not only the value of persistence in building a record of accomplishment, but also the value of resilience in overcoming hardship. I’m very excited to see her heading off to the Paralympic Games in Paris. Way to go, Ali!”
The Truwit’s car will have a police escort from Tokeneke Road, left onto Post Road continuing past Corbin Drive. The Darien Fire Department ladder truck will be parked between A Little Something White and David Harvey with a ladder extended displaying the American flag, and the Noroton Fire Department will be sending an engine.
About Ali Truwit
From Ali Truit's TikTok account
Ali Truit, standing on the leg that had been injured.
Ali has been a Darien resident since 2006. She graduated from Yale University as a Division I swimmer in 2023. Prior to Yale, Ali attended and graduated from St. Luke’s School in New Canaan.
Jamie Barone, head coach at Chelsea Piers Stamford, has been her year-round swim coach since she was 12 years old. During the summers, as a youth, Ali swam for both Weeburn Country Club and the Tokeneke Club.
Two days after graduating from Yale in 2023, Ali was on vacation in the Turks and Cacaos where she was tragically bitten by a shark, forcing the amputation of her leg. Her former teammate and friend, Sophie Pilkinton, applied a torniquet on her leg after the attack.
Ali’s mother, Jody, was captain of the Yale Women’s Swimming and Diving Team in 1991.
Her Schedule in Paris
• Wednesday, Aug. 28: Opening Ceremony
• Sunday, Sept. 1: Event 100 Free
• Thursday, Sept. 5: Event 400 Free
• Friday, Sept. 6: Event 100 Back
• Tuesday, Sept. 10: Return Home, arrive in Darien at 12 noon.
About the Paralympics
The Paralympics is a major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities held shortly after the conclusion of the Olympics in the same host city.
There are 28 Paralympic sports sanctioned by the The International Paralympic Committee — 22 summer sports and six winter sports.
For More Information
— Ali Truit web page on the Team USA website
— More details of Ali’s story are available through this video from NBC News Connecticut: Darien swimmer headed to Paralympics a year after shark attack – NBC Connecticut
— From NBC Sports
On the Kelly Clarkson Show:
Fox 61 segment: “Knowing how to swim well completely saved my life.”