Ali Diehl shows off some of her hardware that she won in B.C. (Submitted photo/Karin Ferris)

By Nolan Kowal

Super swimmer

‘You never want to give up’: Paralympic swimmer Diehl shines in pool despite injury

Dec 11, 2023 | 3:27 PM

Paralympic swimmer Ali Diehl didn’t let a wrist injury stop her from competing at the Ken Demchuk International Para Swimming Championships in Surrey, B.C. earlier this month.

Diehl, who was born in Saskatoon and now lives in Prince Albert, explained how she suffered the injury shortly before the competition.

“I ran into a wall,” Diehl laughed. “I ran into it in gym class chasing after somebody. They decided to lay down right in front of the wall. And I didn’t want to step on their foot and break their foot…so I went straight into the wall.”

“I took some time off just to heal a little bit,” Diehl continued. “And then I got back in the water and I used some tape to put on my wrist but you’re not allowed to use the tape in your race, so I didn’t get too used to that just in case. I wouldn’t touch the wall too hard just in case it could impact my wrist damage more.”

Despite the setback, the 15-year-old swimmer went on to compete in both the 100-metre breaststroke and the 50-metre freestyle, winning a gold medal in each and setting a personal best time in the 100-metre breaststroke.

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“For the 100-metre breaststroke I was pretty surprised at first, but everyone’s good at different strokes, so I guess breaststroke is just my stroke,” said Diehl, who said she would have competed in more categories if she was fully healthy. “My wrist obviously affected my swimming, but other than that it was a really good meet and I achieved my goals.”

Diehl’s mother Karin Ferris credited the people that put her daughter in a position to still be able to compete despite the injury.

“We’re very grateful to her doctor and her trainer in Saskatoon because they helped us immediately,” Ferris said. “They knew how important this classification and the meet were, so they were great with jumping on board and helping us right away.”

“I’m super proud of her as usual…she’s a tough kid.”

Diehl, who was born without her left hand, said swimming was a sport that ran in her family. She got into it when she was only six or seven years old.

“My mom put me in it…she was a swimmer when she was younger and she put all my brothers into it but they never stayed with it,” said Diehl, who swims for the Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club.

Diehl said she enjoys the 50-metre races, but her favourite event remains the 100-metre breaststroke. She hopes to compete in future high-level competitions.

“I’m basically almost set for worlds in 2025 and then 2028 in LA for the Olympics,” she said. “They’ve told me I’m going to worlds too and if everything goes well I’m definitely going to the 2028 Olympics. I’m close to the times (to qualify).”

Diehl’s coach Hazem Hussein has been impressed by Diehl’s tenacity.

“Ali’s journey is a testament to the power of the human spirit. Her accomplishments speak not only to her dedication but also to her ability to rise above challenges and shine on the international stage,” he said.

When asked what advice she would have for other Paralympians or athletes in general, Deihl said it’s all about perseverance.

“If you don’t think you can do it, you can always try your best and see how it goes,” she said.

“You never want to give up.”

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com