Para swimmer Shelby Newkirk ‘feeling fast and feeling ready’ in Paris

World champion para swimmer Shelby Newkirk is ready to make waves at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Newkirk joined the Evan Bray Show to explain the long process that’s taken her from her home in Saskatoon all the way to Paris.

“We’ve been working towards this since 2021, since I came back from Toyko,” she explained.

“I kind of sat down and I said ‘I want to do another one. I want to go to Paris.’ And so we made our plan.”

Newkirk flew to France on August 13 to compete in the 50-metre freestyle S6, 100-metre freestyle S6 and the 100-metre backstroke S6.

“Our plan definitely had lots of ramping up, getting to peak performance for different world championships and those have all really gone well over the past couple of years,” Newkirk explained.

“I was able to win my first world championship title, and was able to successfully defend it last year.”

Before the Paris games, Newkirk was in Edmonton for the Alberta provincials, where she won four gold medals and the Para High Point award.

Newkirk said none of her achievements would have been possible without the support she has received from her family, friends, coaches and her team.

“I can set these big goals. I can have these big dreams, but to hear that other people also believe in me and other people believe that I can do it, I find that just so encouraging,” she said.

“When you set these big goals you can kind of set the pressure on yourself, and it can seem like a big task sometimes. But when you have all these people helping out with all those little things, (so) that you can focus, just means the world to have their support.”

In 2022, Newkirk graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of education degree. She also runs two small businesses, Accessible Life and Crafty Prairie Girl.

Newkirk’s first event in Paris will be on Thursday, August 29.

She’ll be bringing a lot of confidence into her events, saying she’s “feeling fast and feeling ready.”