UWF senior Kira Stevens is an emerging Paralympic Athlete for Team USA track and field. She is a four-time U.S. Paralympic High School All-American in the 100 and 200 meters. In 2022, she qualified for her first adult Paralympic National Championships in the 100, 200, and shot put. She ended up winning the 100-meter and shot events.
She has her sights set on Paris. In two weeks, she will attend the Paralympic Trials in South Florida.
Kira was born prematurely during Hurricane Ivan, weighing 2 pounds and 3 ounces. She was told she was going to die within 24 hours, and if she happened to make it, she would be severely limited in what she could do. Her parents were told she would never eat, walk, or even talk by herself.
“Because I had a level four to five brain bleed, which was the highest brain bleed you could experience, I was born with cerebral palsy,” Kira explained on my radio show. “The doctors told my parents I would never be able to walk by myself, get dressed by myself, or even talk by myself. They said I would have to have a communication board, which is kind of ironic because I’m a communication major.”
Her parents refused to give up on their daughter. “My parents, being triathletes and swim coaches, got me in the water as soon as possible. They basically said if she is not going to be able to walk, she is going to be able to swim. So they started with swimming and then moved on to running at four years old.”
Kira competed in local 5Ks and one-mile events, eventually progressing to triathlons. When she turned 11, she switched to swimming and running competitively on the national level.
“My first track meet ever, I competed in all of the events, 100 to 1,500 meters, shot put, discus, and javelin, and I qualified to go to junior international the same year at the same meet,” she said. “Being a multi-sport athlete, I could do everything, and I really loved it. My parents were definitely getting their money’s worth.”
She has since focused on 100 and 200 meters because those were the only events she could do internationally while being internationally ranked. “That was a change because I was a distant runner. I was doing 1,500 half marathons, et cetera, and changing from distance to sprint was crazy. So I’ve been sprinting for about five years now, and hopefully, I can impress people enough at the trials.”
Kira hopes to represent the U.S. in the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
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