Ali Truwit Opens Up About Walking SI Swimsuit Runway Exactly Two Years After Amputation

The Paralympic swimmer, who celebrates her birthday today, made her debut in the magazine’s 2025 issue.

Ali Truwit at W South Beach / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images/Sports Illustrated

On May 31, 2023, as she headed into surgery to have her leg below the knee amputated, Paralympic medalist Ali Truwit was unsure if she would ever be able to walk again. Exactly two years later—on her birthday, no less—she walks in the SI Swimsuit Runway Show.

A collegiate swimmer at the time, Truwit lost part of her leg in a devastating shark attack in Turks & Caicos on May 24, 2023. One week later was the date of her transtibial amputation, when the entire trajectory of her athletic career shifted as she turned 23. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘Am I ever going to run again? Am I ever going to be an athlete again?’” Truwit remembered on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2024. Little did she know, she would secure silver medals in the 400-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke at the Paralympic Games just months later.

Tonight, Truiwit—who is the second Paralympian and third amputee to grace the pages of SI Swimsuit—will make her debut on the brand’s runway in Miami as part of the annual Swim Week. On Friday, she talked to the SI Swimsuit team about the major feat.

“I’m really excited,” she said of the runway show. “You know, two years ago tomorrow, it was my 23rd birthday and the date of my amputation. So now to fast forward two years, and it be my 25th birthday, and I’m getting to not only walk, but walk and represent individuals with disabilities and Paralympians and female athletes down a runway, that’s so special for me.”

Ali Truwit was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by HAUS OF PINKLEMONAID. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

“This is an exciting week for me. This is a completely new space—to be modeling in a bikini, in my prosthetic leg and on a runway,” she continued.

Tune into the live runway show at 9 p.m. ET here.

In full stride, Truwit is facing uncharted territory head-on and is turning to the origins of her foundation, Stronger Than You Think, for mental preparation ahead of the big night.

“Why I named [the non-profit organization] Stronger Than You Think is because that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned over these past two years. I think we are all stronger than we think,” Truwit elaborated. “We are all sitting on this well of capacity that we need to open our minds to and believe and act like it.”

We also asked Truwit about her debut in the magazine’s latest issue, where she joined a trailblazing group of athletes in Boca Raton, Fla., for her first feature.

Ali Truwit and MJ Day / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images/Sports Illustrated

“The representation is really special, and it’s something that I’m so grateful to SI Swimsuit, and also MJ [Day, SI Swimsuit editor in Chief] for prioritizing and recognizing the importance of,” Truwit shared. “I’ve heard from amputees, young female girls who look at my photos and think, ‘Gosh, I could see myself in that, I can be that, I can feel beautiful in my prosthetic leg in [a] huge issue, like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.’”

It’s her impact, Truwit notes, that makes her work with SI Swimsuit so worthwhile, as she hopes to inspire readers with her presence, adding, “For me to be able to represent them and to give them hope like others gave me hope, that’s the most memorable, special thing.”

She also shared her inspiring vision for future issues of the magazine. “I think it could be really cool to see more Paralympians in the issue, like, what if we had two Paralympians on the cover?” she posed. “That would be iconic.”

More Ali Truwit. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746304924/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtby4x2cdfbnpg0hkz.jpg. View the Full 2025 Gallery. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746304923/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtby4x1azzqxyhdqx7.jpg. Meet Ali Truwit. Ali Truwit Content. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746304923/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jtby4x1m93a9bx93nt.jpg