Grace Nuhfer swam her way to county and sectional championships in high school. She’s been on a podium before.
But it hits more than a little bit differently when you’re standing on one in Paris and there’s an American flag flying across the pool from you — and your swim is the reason for it being there.
That was the surreal scene for Nuhfer last Thursday when she claimed a silver medal in the S13 100-meter butterfly at the Paralympic Games, which conclude this weekend in France.
“I’m still speechless from it,” Nuhfer said of that post-race moment. “I don’t really don’t know how to describe how special that is.”
The 2021 Greenwood graduate, currently a swimmer at the University of Akron, competed in four events in all, opening with her best medal opportunity in the 100 fly. She put up a time of 1:03.95 in the preliminaries to send herself into the final as the top seed, with world record holder and 2021 gold medalist Carlotta Gilli of Italy just .24 seconds behind.
Gilli turned it up a notch in the evening, going 1:03.27 to Nuhfer’s 1:03.88 to defend her crown.
“I’m a (200) flyer, so I really went out there and I knew I just had to stay strong in the first 50,” Nuhfer said of the final. “I probably could have gone a bit faster going out, but then I knew I could race it back home and I had the underwaters to get me to the finish. So that’s what I did; I was focusing on that finishing speed, and really just going out there to race more than caring about what the times were.”
Despite coming up short, Nuhfer was still riding an emotional high the following day, even amid what she termed an “adrenaline crash.” She says that the love and support she received from fans not only in Greenwood, but at Akron and at the pool in Paris, was worth more than a medal of any color.
Nuhfer, who was born with a rare genetic condition that has left her legally blind with brittle cornea syndrome, competes in S13 — the least severe of three Paralympic classifications for swimmers with vision impairments. She enjoyed the opportunity to go up against Gilli and all of the other women in their class who have faced and overcome similar obstacles.
“They say a rising tide raises all ships, and I have the utmost respect for (Gilli),” Nuhfer said. “It’s so fun to race her, and she’s definitely pushed me in and out of the water to become a better athlete. I think it’s just special to be able to compete against a field of girls who also have some of the same struggles that I deal with on a daily basis.”
That 100 fly silver turned out to be Nuhfer’s lone medal in Paris. She did, however, qualify for the final in all four of her events, placing eighth in the 100 backstroke and 50 freestyle before finishing up her Paralympic debut with a sixth-place effort in the 200 individual medley.
She’s staying in Paris for Saturday’s closing ceremony, then heading back to Akron to try catching up on a semester that started two weeks ago.
“That’s one of those things that I’ll deal with when I get there,” the business data analytics major said, “just because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I know I’ll be able to catch back up in the classroom.”
Once in a lifetime might not be entirely accurate, however.
Now that she’s gotten a taste of para swimming success at the highest level, Nuhfer is already considering the possibilities for 2028, when the Paralympics will be held in Los Angeles.
“Being here and hearing the crowd cheer for all of the French athletes has been insane,” she said, “and it being my first quad and my first year doing para sports … I’m definitely getting excited and fueled up with ‘28 coming on the horizon. I think that’d be an awesome experience and is definitely something I’m currently aiming for.”
