Kimberly Alkemade

(Netherlands): Loss, Adventure & Blade Running

SUE BIR asldfj alsdfj

asketball, uSA

Season 3

0:00
00:00

Kimberly didn’t start running until she was 27 — she’s now 30. In her 2019 debut race, the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, she came away with a silver and bronze medal in the 200m and 100m. She’s seeking to compete on the Danish Para Track and Field Team in Tokyo.

When she was eight-years old she was in a bus crash that changed her life and how she approaches everything she does. This episode explores the world of running prosthetics, and her love of adventure, and her experiences of loss and grief.

“I BELIEVE LIFE BEGINS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COMFORT ZONE BARRIER.”

NOTE: This episode contains themes that some people may find upsetting, including descriptions of depression and suicide.

Thank you to Producer Michelle Poulin for her terrific efforts spearing this episode!

Experts interviewed include Keith Antoine, Ken Endo, and Dr. Katherine Shear.
Audio clip from Women’s 100m T64 Final | Dubai 2019 YouTube.

Share:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

related

Taylor has been in the pool since age 4, when her mom (a swim coach) and older sister (also a swimmer) first introduced her to the water. A D1 recruit at Loyola University Maryland, Taylor was gearing up to make a splash at the collegiate level. She was then diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition characterized by joint pain, loose joints, and hypermobility. According to Taylor, this period of her life was both physically and emotionally excruciating. She shares how she needed to “mourn the life [I] lost but also realize that [I] gained a new life.”

Hearing how important swimming was to her, Taylor’s physical therapist encouraged her to return to the water. One day when at the Loyola pool, the swim coach who recruited her suggested Taylor explore para swimming. This recommendation changed Taylor’s life.

Flash forward to today and Taylor is a 2x S10 American Record Holder and 7x Parapan Games medalist. As Taylor looks to the future, she hopes to see a world in which women are “valued like the men.” She also shares how she hopes to become a Mom and how “women can be strong and powerful” while also at the top of their sport.

Alejandra is the Dominican Republic’s first female Paralympic swimmer, a Parapan American silver medalist, engineer, dog mom, and as she shares, “a 4’3” tall girl promoting inclusion.”

When not swimming (which she does 4-5 hours a day), Alejandra works for the International Paralympic Committee, making sport more accessible for all. As if that’s not enough, she’s also writing her masters thesis. When asked how she juggles it all, she shares that she’s driven by her why. She knows exactly why she’s waking up so early and has crystal clear goals.

In today’s conversation, we talk about her hopes for Paris2024, and Ale shares big news — she’s preparing for her retirement post-Paralympics! She also debunks some of the misconceptions about the Paralympics:
1. Paralympians are elite athletes NOT recreational athletes
2. She’s competing in the Paralympics NOT Olympics (they are different!).

Manasi Joshi has won 10 gold, 9 silver and 15 bronze medals at level 1 international tournaments. She’s a former World Champion (SL3), an engineer, an Arjuna award winner, Aspen Fellow, and has spoken at Harvard.

As Manasi approaches the Paris Paralympics, she’s feeling “stronger than ever.” That said, she’s pauses to flag HOW she hopes journalists and the media should talk about her, or rather how they shouldn’t. She shares, “I don’t want to be called inspirational because I happen to play the sport with a disability. I want to be called inspirational because I put in the same amount of time and effort and show up every day.” Manasi shares that she’d rather have a short column than pages in a magazine focusing on how she’s an inspiration because of her disability.

She’s more than a headline that pulls at people’s heartstrings: she’s an elite athlete who dominates international tournaments and puts in the blood, sweat and tears to make it to the top.