University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Panther trio prepares to take on Paris and 2024 Paralympics
8/23/2024 2:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving, Track and Field
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The pride of the United States and the University of Northern Iowa will be with a trio of current and former Panther student-athletes as the 2024 Paralympic Summer Games open on Wednesday, Aug. 28 in Paris.
A record three UNI athletes will participate in the 17th edition of the games, and will for the first time be represented in multiple sports. Senior swimmer Olivia Chambers is set to compete in five individual events in the pool, with Jessica Heims is set to participate in the discus throw and Erin Kerkhoff in a pair of sprint races on the track.
All three will look to become the university's first-ever Paralympic medalist with a top-three podium finish, and become the first current or former UNI athlete to win an Olympic or Paralympic medal since Bill Smith's Olympic gold medal performance in wrestling at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952.
Live coverage of the Paris Paralympics can be found on the networks of NBC, including Peacock, NBC, CNBC and USA Network.
The Other Place will also provide live coverage of the games at all local locations throughout the Cedar Valley for Panther fans to watch.
OLIVIA CHAMBERS - Swimming
Making her Paralympic debut in Paris, Chambers has come a long way since entering the para swimming world just two years ago. A Little Rock, Arkansas native who is legally blind due to complications from multiple mitochondrial gene deletion syndrome, Chambers qualified for Paris by virtue of winning two events at this summer's U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in Minneapolis, including victories in the 400-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley. She also took second-place in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter breaststroke.
A six-time medalist at last year's Para Swimming World Championships, three-time U.S. Paralympic Swimming national champion and 12-time Para Swimming World Series medalist, Chambers is set to begin a rigorous competition schedule at Paris' La Defense Arena starting on Aug. 29, the first full day of competition of the games.
Chambers will open the meet in the S13 100-meter butterfly, followed by the S13 400-meter freestyle on Aug. 31, a race in which she holds the fastest time in the world this year at 4:32.55. Action will continue in the pool on Sept. 2 with the S13 50-meter freestyle, the SM13 200-meter individual medley on Sept. 3 and the SB13 100-meter breaststroke on Sept. 5. A potential sixth event appearance in the mixed 4x100-meter freestyle relay (49 point) will be determined in the days leading up to the event.
JESSICA HEIMS - Track & Field
Paris 2024 will be Heims' third Paralympic appearance after becoming UNI's first-ever Paralympian in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and competing five years later at the COVID-19 delayed Tokyo 2020 games. A native of Swisher, Iowa and 2021 UNI graduate, Heims was born with amniotic band syndrome and had her left leg amputated and became involved in para track and field when she was 11 years old.
Heims will compete in the F64 discus throw at the historic Stade de France in Paris after topping her classification in the event with a 36.50-meter toss at last month's U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in Florida. Competition is scheduled to be held beginning at 3:47 a.m. CT on Sept. 1.
Competing at the Rio 2016 games, Heims placed eighth in the F44 classification and also ran the T44 400-meter dash, a race where she placed seventh. In Tokyo, she improved in her overall finish with a fifth-place effort in the F64 classification. Outside of Paralympic competition, Heims has also represented the United States at the Para Athletics World Championships, the Para Pan American Games and the Para Athletics Grand Prix.
ERIN KERKHOFF - Track & Field
Kerkhoff will make her second Paralympic appearance after debuting in Tokyo three years ago, set to run in the T13 100 and 400-meter dashes. A Coralville, Iowa native, Kerkhoff has dealt with visual impairment due to optic nerve atrophy since birth leaving her with 20/300 vision in her right eye, and 20/400 in her left.
Graduating from UNI this past semester, Kerkhoff won the 400-meter dash at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials last month to qualify for Team USA, adding to a decorated resume of para track and field accolades. Prior to the U.S. Team Trials, she placed second in the 200 meters at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, one year after her first trip to
Paris for the first time for the 2023 world championships, where she clinched a bronze medal in the T13 200-meter dash and finished sixth in the T13 100 meters.
A three-time U.S. Paralympic national champion in 2023, Kerkhoff placed eighth at the Tokyo Games in the 400-meter dash in her first appearance on the international stage.
Kekhoff will run the T13 100 meters on Sept. 3, and the T13 400-meter prelims on Sept. 5 with a potential final scheduled for Sept. 7 at Stade de France.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE (All times listed in Central Time)
(Subject to change due to number of entries)
Olivia Chambers (Swimming)
- Aug. 29 - S13 100m Butterfly | 4:32 a.m. prelims / 1:10 p.m. finals
- Aug. 31 - S13 400m Freestyle | 3:33 a.m. prelims / 11:48 a.m. finals
- Sept. 2 - S13 50m Freestyle | 3:51 a.m. prelims / 11:47 a.m. finals
- Sept. 3 - SM13 200m Individual medley | 4:20 a.m. prelims / 12:59 p.m. finals
- Sept. 4 - Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay | 4:20 a.m. prelims / 12:55 p.m. finals***
- Sept. 5 - SB13 100m Breaststroke | 3:56 a.m. prelims / 12:22 p.m. finals
*** Participation in relay is to be determined
Jessica Heims (Track & Field)
- Sept. 1 - F64 Discus Throw | 3:47 a.m.
Erin Kerkhoff (Track & Field)
- Sept. 3 - T13 100m | 11 a.m. prelims / 8:08 p.m. finals
- Sept. 5 - T13 400m | 2:15 p.m. prelims
- Sept. 7 - T13 400m | 3:22 a.m. finals
UNI's ALL-TIME PARALYMPIANS
|
NAME |
GAMES |
EVENT |
RESULT |
|
Rio De Janeiro 2016 Rio De Janeiro 2016 Tokyo 2020 |
F44 Discus T44 400m Dash F64 Discus |
8th Place 7th Place 5th Place |
|
|
Tokyo 2020 |
T13 100m T13 400m Dash |
DNP 8th Place |
|
|
Paris 2024 |
S13 100m Butterfly |
----- |
UNI's ALL-TIME OLYMPIANS
|
NAME |
GAMES |
SPORT/EVENT |
RESULT |
|
William "Red" Hamilton |
London 1908 |
Medley Relay (Track) |
Gold Medal |
|
Maynard Harmon |
Los Angeles 1932 |
Wrestling |
DNP |
|
Bill Koll |
London 1948 |
Freestyle Lightweight (Wrestling) |
5th Place |
|
Gerald Leeman |
London 1948 |
Freestyle Bantam Weight (Wrestling) |
Silver Medal |
|
Bill Nelson |
London 1948 |
Wrestling |
DNP |
|
Bill Smith |
Helsinki 1952 |
Freestyle Welterweight (Wrestling) |
Gold Medal |
UNI swimming and diving, as well as track and field action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Swimming and Diving & UNI Track and Field), X (@uniswimdive and @UNITrackFieldXC) and on Instagram (@uniswimdive and @uni_tf_xc). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Players Mentioned
