Koehn Boyd, Katie Kubiak Emerge as Stars at Para Swimming Nationals
Koehn Boyd and Katie Kubiak were among the new stars to emerge from last weekend’s 2024 U.S. Paralympic National Championships in Orlando.
Boyd, just 15 years old, took home six gold medals in the mixed-class races at Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center. Kubiak won five gold medals. Between them, they accounted for seven American records, injecting fresh life into a program coming off a successful 2024 Paralympics with a veteran squad.
Boyd, a native of Ramsey, Minn., scored 5,691 points, the most among any swimmer. The S10 swimmer won the 400 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 400 individual medley on a daunting opening night. He set the S10 American record in the 100 fly and the Americas record in the SM10 400 IM. Boyd won the 200 fly and 50 free on Saturday, then captured the 200 IM on Sunday.
Kubiak’s meet was even more impressive time-wise, with all five of her wins lowering American records.
An S4 swimmer from Mequon, Wisconsin, making her nationals debut, Kubiak won the 50 back while setting an American record on Night 1. She lowered the American marks in the SB3 50 breast and S4 50 free on Saturday, then took down the S4 100 free and 200 free on Sunday.
Some of those Paris veterans were among the 100-plus swimmers competing in Orlando. No one was more prominent than Olivia Chambers, who on Saturday set world records in the women’s S13 1,500 free (17:48.60) and with her opening 800 free split (9:29.21).
“I was definitely not expecting the records today,” Chambers told USA Para Swimming. “I came here just to see everyone and have some fun. It was a surprise but exciting as always, and I’m just super thankful for everyone around.
“This is definitely the cherry on top. My ultimate goal for the year was just to get to Paris. To come away with a gold and two silvers was really a shock to me then finishing off the year with the record is really a testament to all the work that I’ve put in not just this past year, but since I started the sport.”
Chambers, who won a gold and two silvers in Paris, captured five titles in Orlando. That included outdueling fellow S13 Paralympian Grace Nuhfer head-to-head in the 400 free on Friday and in Sunday’s 200 individual medley.
Nuhfer, the silver medalist in the S13 100 fly in Paris, won that event Friday and finished third on three occasions. She also broke the Americas record in the 200 fly on Saturday. She went on to set two American records in wins each of the next two nights, with the 50 back and 50 free on Saturday and the 100 free and 200 free Sunday.
Other Paralympians at the meet included Lawrence Sapp, the S14 swimmer who won the 100 free (over fellow Paralympian Evan Wilkerson) and 200 free on the final night of the meet. Four-time Paralympic champ McKenzie Coan finished third in Saturday’s 50 free behind Kubiak and Nuhfer. Jamal Hill finished second to Boyd in the 50 free, while Morgan Ray had two podium finishes on the opening night.
The U.S. Para Swimming program is building toward next year’s World Championships in Singapore from Sept. 21-27. Their next international swims will come with the start of the World Para Swimming Series in February in Australia.