Senior Anna Eames’ story is one of perseverance and dedication. Born with a physical disability in her legs, she was unable to participate in impact sports, such as running because of the pain it caused her. When she was five, she started swimming, and by the time she was 15-years-old, she had qualified for the Paralympics.

When the pool that Eames trained at hosted a Paralympic swim meet in 2005, Eames’ coach decided to see if Eames was disabled enough to qualify. Eames did qualify and has been on the National Paralympic team ever since.

In order to compete in the Paralympics you must be classified with the level of disability you have.

“For swimming there are 14 classifications and before the meet you have to be classified. Categories 1-10 are for physical disabilities, with 10 being the least severe and 1 being the most severe. Categories 11-13 are visually impaired, so 11 is completely blind, while 13 is just some sight impairment, and 14 is for cognitive disabilities. So I’m an S-10 which means I have the least severe physical disability,” Eames said.

In 2008 Eames competed in the Beijing Paralympic Games, and won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and the bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle. This August, Eames competed in the Paralympic Games in London, winning a silver medal for her team’s performance in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Eames also competed in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly.

Before each race Eames went through the same routine in order to prepare mentally and physically.

After waking up, Eames shaved her legs, made sure everything was in her swim bag, and then headed to the cafeteria for scrambled eggs and a banana.

Then after breakfast, Eames and her teammates headed over to the pool where they warmed up, put on their racing suits and checked-in with race officials.

“Twenty minutes before I swam I would have to go into the race-ready room, which is a blank room with plain white walls and lots of chairs, to check in. We would sit in the race-ready room, and it would be the most terrifying thing ever because people would try to play mind games. We’re all friends, but when it gets that close to race time everyone gets really tense. I had friends from other countries in all of my events that I knew I could talk to, and I just tried to smile and laugh before my race so I wouldn’t get too freaked out,” Eames said.

Before the race the athletes were paraded out of the race-ready room to wave at the cameras before getting into the pool to swim.

Eames swam the anchor leg of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

“We knew Australia was super far ahead, but Great Britain was in the lane next to us, and they were also pretty far ahead. My teammate caught us up a lot to the Great Britain team, and then when I dove in, we were just a little bit behind them. I remember telling myself to hold back on my legs because I knew I would get really excited and kick too hard on the first lap, but I needed to be able to finish. I’ve never kicked so hard in my life. With 25 meters left my legs were cramping up and I knew I just needed to relax my legs so I could finish the race. The next thing I remember, I was looking up at the scoreboard and I saw that we got second, so that was really exciting. It was fun to beat the Brits on their home turf,” Eames said.

Eames said she has been overwhelmed by how much support she has received from her fellow Gusties, and especially from the Gustavus swim team.

“It was really cool to get to train alongside Anna these past few years as she prepared for London. It was inspiring to watch her dedication in the pool every day. And then to see it all pay off in London, I couldn’t have been happier for her. Our team enjoyed cheering her on from across the world, and we are so proud of her,” Eames’ teammate Senior Amy Beck said.

This previous Thursday, Eames was in Washington D.C. along with the other Paralympic and Olympic athletes. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and Vice President Joe Biden held a ceremony to honor the athletes.

“I got to shake hands with them, so that was really cool. They were super personable; it was really awesome,” Eames said.

Eames said she tries to stay humble amidst all the attention. “People I barely know are saying ‘good job’ and ‘welcome back.’ I just feel so honored that people know what happened and that I got to go to the Paralympics,” Eames said.

“To say I am proud of her would be an understatement. She doesn’t let her disability get in the way of her hopes and dreams. She works hard and overcomes it. It is amazing how much she has already achieved in her life, and I can’t wait to see what she will do in the future,” Eames’ friend Senior Shannon Tschida said.