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INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE

Carrie Willoughby

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United States of America
Swimming
1

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment
Classification
S13

Further personal information

Residence
Atlanta, GA, USA
Occupation
Artist, Athlete
Languages
English
Higher education
Visual Arts - Auburn University: United States

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began swimming at age four at a community pool in Birmingham, AL, United States.
Why this sport?
She had wanted to be like her older brother who was also a swimmer. She was later inspired by the visually impaired athletes competing at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta.

General interest

Nicknames
Carebear, Wildabeast, Squints (Athlete, 12 Jan 2011)
Hobbies
Cycling, swimming, art, singing, ice skating, pilates. (Athlete, 12 Jan 2011)
Memorable sporting achievement
Being selected for the US swim team at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. (Athlete, 12 Jan 2011)
Injuries
She had surgery on her Achilles in 2004 and took a year to recover. (Athlete, 12 Jan 2011)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Nothing good is ever easy, nothing easy ever shows how good you really can be." (interpretermagazine.org, 01 Dec 2005)
Other sports
She has also represented the United States in para-cycling. (glutenfreecelebrity.com, 06 Sep 2012)
Impairment
She was born with oculocutaneous albinism and is legally blind due to the condition. (glutenfreecelebrity.com, 06 Sep 2012)
Other information
FROM SWIMMING TO CYCLING
She chose to give up swimming after becoming disillusioned with the national programme and switched to cycling. "Paralympic-level swimming is difficult to maintain and manage. There are egos and obligations that change people. It reached the point where the only thing the programme provided was criticism and I didn’t want to take that any more. The Paralympic cycling programme provides a better balance. They stress that there’s always room for improvement, but they let you know what you’re doing right." (suite101.com, 25 Jun 2010)

SPECIAL DIET
She began experiencing headaches and abdominal pain in 2000 and was diagnosed with the coeliac condition in 2004. This means she can no longer eat food containing gluten. (glutenfreecelebrity.com, 06 Sep 2012)

Results

Unit Date Rank
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (Sydney, Australia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 6
Women's 200 m Medley SM13 Heat 2 4
Women's 200 m Medley SM13 Final Round 8
Athens 2004 Paralympic Games (Athens, Greece)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Heat 1 4
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 7
Women's 400 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 8
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Heat 2 2
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Final Round 4
Women's 100 m Butterfly S13 Final Round 4
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 7
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Heat 1 4
IPC Swimming World Championships Durban 2006 (Durban, South Africa)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 400 m Freestyle S13 Heats 9
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM13 Final Round 7
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM13 Heats 7
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Heats 10
Women's 100 m Butterfly S13 Final Round 5
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Final Round 7
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Heats 6
IPC Swimming World Championships Mar del Plata 2002 (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Freestyle S13 Heats 9
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Heats 4
Women's 100 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 5
Women's 400 m Freestyle S13 Heats 7
Women's 400 m Freestyle S13 Final Round 7
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Heats 3
Women's 100 m Backstroke S13 Final Round 3
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB13 Final Round 8
Women's 100 m Butterfly S13 Final Round 5
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM13 Heats 9