Shelby Newkirk bronze medalist speaks about 2024 Paralympic Games

Shelby Newkirk knew there was podium potential if she trusted her training the moment she got in the water at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Newkirk recently came back to her home province of Saskatchewan as a bronze medalist in the women’s 100m backstroke.

Newkirk told The Evan Bray Show on Wednesday what the feeling was like before the race.

“I was tired at that point. It was day 10 of the meet and I had done lots of other races,” she said. “I try to not overthink what I’m doing and just let my body do it.”

Shelby Newkirk recently came back to her home province of Saskatchewan as a bronze medalist in the women’s 100m backstroke. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

Newkirk said she gave it her all for that minute and 20 second race.

“Definitely by the end, I was feeling pretty tired but I just kind of dug deep and really just thought about all of the people that helped me get there (and) all of this training I had done,” said Newkirk.

She said it’s a really cool feeling to come home with that bronze medal in her hands.

The heavy real bronze medal also has braille on it, which Newkirk says translates to “Paris” on one side and “2024” on the other.

“It’s something specific to the paralympics,” she said. “All of our medals have to have braille on them.”

Another interesting part of the paralympic medal is the design of the Eiffel Tower as if you are looking up from the bottom of it with the paralympic logo.

On the back of the medal, a fragment of the Eiffel Tower’s original medal is also embedded.

Shelby Newkirk sharing her experineces on The Evan Bray Show about the moment she got in the water at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

Newkirk said every medal she’s received on an international stage is meaningful to her.

“When I got my first gold at world championships and I became world champion for the first time, that definitely meant something special knowing I was at the top,” she said.

Newkirk also competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but it was a different experience as the pandemic took away that team experience.

This time in Paris, Newkirk said it was a unique experience getting to know other athletes from around the world — one aspect she loved the most about the games.

“I’m a person with a disability… everybody either has a disability or they work with people with disabilities and we’re not in the minority.”

She said for four years leading up to the games her and other athletes have been focused on getting their best results.

“To go on the podium, have my coach nearby, my parents in the stands (and) be able to bring home a little piece of Paris with me is pretty amazing.”