★ The Sports Examiner is delighted to present this important contribution from our patron, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, with a focus on American Paralympic stars. Opinions expressed are those of the USOPC. ★
Paralympian Leanne Smith won all five events she entered in the lone Para World Series Stop to take place on U.S. soil this year.
By Karen Price
Red Line Editorial
Leanne Smith and Katie Kubiak are on two ends of the spectrum when it comes to experience in the Paralympic world.
Smith, 36, is a two-time Paralympian who admittedly was ready to be done with her swimming career last year after Paris. Kubiak, 22, is just starting her Para career, having made her international debut this past weekend at the Para Swim World Series stop in Indianapolis.
But one thing the swimmers have very much in common is that they both turned in remarkable performances in Indianapolis to punctuate a strong showing by Team USA.
Smith won all five events she entered, setting three class S3 world records in the process, while Kubiak medaled in all four of her events – all on day one – including two golds, and set two S4 world records.
Those were just a few highlights from the lone World Series stop on U.S. soil, which also served as the lone selection event for the 2025 world championships team.
“It’s super surreal, totally was not the expectation at all, but I’m really proud because I think it’s a testament to all the hard work that my coach and I have been putting in,” said Kubiak, an NYU student who took home gold in the 150-meter individual medley and the 50-meter butterfly. “It was my first international meet, and I’ve never been on a stage quite this big so I just wanted to come in and put in the best times that I possibly could, and I’m really happy with the times I ended up swimming, especially considering the schedule I had. That’s all I could ask.”
The weekend featured three days of competition and included athletes from Brazil, Italy, Australia, Mexico and Uganda, to name a few. As the selection event for the U.S. world championships team, only athletes whose times were at least as good as the no. 3 ranking in the world in their respective classes and events would be eligible to make the team that will travel to Singapore in the fall. And with the Paralympic Games being last year, those world rankings are tough to match.
The world championships team roster will be announced in May.
Hoping to return to world championships and defend her gold medals in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle S7 is Morgan Stickney. The two-time Paralympian had a very difficult fall, including three weeks in the intensive-care unit with major leg surgeries and an emergency surgery, and had to spend five months out of her prosthetic legs. But she was golden again in Indianapolis, winning the 400-meter – she’s also the defending Paralympic champion in the event – after earning bronze in the 100-meter.
“I’m in my happy place,” Stickney said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I put no pressure on myself and had no idea what my times would be. I just came in and wanted to have fun and keep it low key. When I have fun I swim fast, so that’s the secret there.”
Other Paralympians who won gold over the weekend were Olivia Chambers (100-meter breaststroke SB4-9, 11-14), Morgan Ray (100-meter breaststroke SB4-9, 11-14), Gia Pergolini (100-meter backstroke S1-2, 6-14), and Julia Gaffney (200-meter medley SM5-14).
A number of young, up-and-coming swimmers navigating the first year of the quad leading up to Los Angeles 2028 also performed well, including Koehn Boyd. He won six national titles at nationals last December to be named swimmer of the meet, and the 16-year-old’s rapid rise continued in Indianapolis when he won the 100-meter butterfly S8-14 and added two other medals in senior events.
Boyd joined Cara Pennington, Kenley Teller, Lucas Culotta and Noah Busch among U.S. swimmers winning medals in the youth divisions as well.
After winning the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle on day one, Smith returned to win the 50-meter backstroke and breaststroke on day two, and the 50-meter freestyle on day three.
“It’s something I didn’t expect, but switching up my training and taking a solid four months off from swimming was refreshing and much-needed,” Smith said. “(These records) are emotional for me, but they reinforce that you don’t have to be doing what the person next to you is doing, and that working within your limits is OK and it’s enough.“
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
For more, please visit the USOPC Paralympic Educational Hub.
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