Opening Day 2026 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships
Opening Day 2026 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships. Foto courtesy
BOISE, Idaho – Highlighting the opening day of the 2026 U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships, Piper Sadowski (Grand Rapids, Michigan; S14) broke her own American record twice Friday as several swimmers turned in strong performances at Idaho Central Aquatic Center in Boise, Idaho.
The 20-year-old, who trains at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, opened the day by setting an American record in the women’s S14 400-meter freestyle during prelims with a time of 4:59.94. She followed that performance in finals with another American record, winning the event in 4:58.68 and becoming the first American woman in the classification to break the five-minute barrier.
Koehn Boyd (Ramsey, Minnesota; S10) walked away with three victories on opening day. The two-time Swimmer of the Meet finished just three seconds shy of his American record in the men’s 400 freestyle multiclass event, posting a time of 4:08.77 after dropping nearly six seconds from his prelims swim earlier in the day.
Boyd added another victory in the men’s 100 butterfly, touching the wall in 57.72, less than one second off his own American record of 56.96. Two-time Paralympian Lawrence Sapp (Waldorf, Maryland; S14) followed closely behind with a time of 58.35, just two seconds shy of the S14 American record.
Boyd’s third win came in the men’s 400 individual medley multiclass event, which was contested as a timed final.
Paralympic silver medalist Grace Nuhfer (Indianapolis, Indiana; S13) also opened the meet with a victory, winning the women’s 100-meter butterfly in 1:08.31.
The national championships resume Saturday with preliminary heats beginning at 9 a.m. MT and finals at 5:30 p.m. MT. All events are contested in multiclass format, with results determined using the World Para Swimming points system to create an equitable field of play across classifications. The 50 freestyle race will be a can’t-miss event, with Noah Jaffe, Evan Wilkerson and Koehn Boyd all going head-to-head.
