University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Chambers wins four gold medals at World Para Swimming Championships
9/27/2025 1:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Former Panther captures five total medals in breakout meet in southeast Asia.
SINGAPORE --- Former UNI swimmer Olivia Chambers took the para swimming world by storm this week, capturing four gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships at the OCBC Aquatics Center in Singapore.
One year removed from winning one gold and two silver medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Chambers, swimming in her second world para championships, added to her medal total that included two silver and four bronze medals from the 2023 world championships in England.
Chambers' first of four gold medals in Singapore came in the SB13 100-meter breaststroke, where she clocked a winning time of 1:17.34 to beat out Roisin Ni Riain of Ireland by nearly one and a half seconds. Neutral Athlete Anastasiya Zudzilava would take home bronze in the event.
In the S13 100-meter freestyle, Chambers topped reigning world champion Carlotta Gilli of Italy by nearly a second in 1:00.11 for her second gold medal of the championships, passing Gilli in the final 50 meters after trailing early. Chambers' American teammate Grace Nuhfer would take the bronze medal.
Chambers third goal medal performance came in the S13 400-meter freestyle, the event she captured gold in at last summer's Paralympic Games in Paris. Swimming a time of 4:29.99, she notched the second-fastest time of her career, just shy of her gold medal winning time from Paris a year ago. Riain finished the event in second (4:37.39) and Nuhfer in third (4:43.78).
In the SM13 200-meter individual medley, Chambers would trail Gilli on the opening butterfly leg, but quickly took the lead following the backstroke leg, leading the rest of the way to finish with a time of 2:25.83, 2.86 seconds. Gilli would take silver in 2:28.69 with Riain in third (2:29.75).
Chambers also took home a bronze medal in Singapore in the S13 50-meter freestyle with a career-best time of 27.63, while finishing fourth in the S13 100-meter butterfly with another career-best mark (1:05.60)
Team USA finished atop the gold medal count, tying with Italy with 18 gold medals won at this year's championships, while winning 35 total medals, second only to Italy's 46.
Chambers, a Little Rock, Arkansas native who swam for the Panthers from 2021 to 2025, will graduate from UNI this December with a degree in biology. During her four year career with Northern Iowa, she was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) performer, earning first team honors as a senior.
In 2024, Chambers was named the recipient of the MVC's Most Courageous Award, presented annually to former or current student-athletes, coaches or university administrators who demonstrate unusual courage in the face of personal illness, adversity or tragedy and whose behavior reflects honor on the institution or the conference.
Chambers was also a decorated student, being named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team three times, while also being a three-time recipient of the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award and Honor Roll. She also earned MVC Board of Directors' Academic Excellence Award honors and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District recognition in 2025.
UNI swimming and diving action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Swimming and Diving), X (@uniswimdive) and on Instagram (@uniswimdive). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
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