On Set With Ali Truwit at The Boca Raton

SI Staff | May 13, 2025

Ali Truwit Athlete Interview /

Ali Truwit was destined for a life in a bathing suit and for SI Swimsuit. The inspirational swimmer, who received two silver medals during her first Paralympics in Paris 2024, marks her debut in the 2025 SI Swimsuit issue. Photographed in Florida by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton, the 24-year-old’s personality shines through in the pages. We sat down with Truwit to discuss the impact of the photo shoot and her story.

TRANSCRIPT

Hey guys, it's Ali Truwit and I'm on set for my 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photo shoot.

My parents put me and my three brothers in swimming lessons at a really young age. My brothers would do anything to get out of swim lessons, and they hated it. They would hide in the showers and get their hair wet and pretend they had done their swim lessons, and I got four lessons in one. 

I love that I grew up in a swimsuit, and also it's really hard to grow up in a swimsuit, and as you're going through those transitional years where your body changes, you become a little more focused on what your body looks like.

I guess I was lucky in that sense, and I think it's because the people that I surrounded myself with were people who celebrated what our bodies could do and how powerful and strong and beautiful we were.

When the shark attack and amputation first happened, there was a lot of media interest in my story. There was a lot of misinformation out there as a result of waiting eight months to share my story. I really wanted to correct the narrative that Sophie and I saved ourselves. We fought a shark. We swam 70 yards, me footless and bleeding back to a boat. We saved ourselves. And that was such a healing thought to me that I could take this bad thing that happened to me and use it for good.

You know, when I first came outta the hospital, I had just become an amputee for the rest of my life as a 23-year-old girl. And to think that now, what, 17 months later, I am sitting here on the beach and at the pool, posing in my prosthetic in a swimsuit for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is just a moment that gives me chills.

Being in Paris, for me, it's kind of a surreal moment. I feel like I've had so many pinch me moments. Oh my gosh. So, it was the night before my first big race, my 400 freestyle. There's a random number coming across my phone, and I'm a little nervous and anxious the night before my first big race and my mom's like, 'Pick up the phone. Pick up the phone.' 

So I answer, and immediately someone on the other end is like, 'Please hold for Tom Cruise.' And I was like, 'Okay. Those just became my new favorite words strung together in a sentence.' He got on the phone and was like, 'You've worked so hard to get to this point. You've already achieved so much in and out of the water, and I encourage you to just go out there and enjoy it, and relish in all of the support and all that you've already done and feel so proud of where you are.'

And that was the exact message I needed in that moment. So I was so grateful for it. And then he invited me to his set after, which was also super cool. The two silver medals were amazing. The two American records were really special, and being able to stand on the podium and watch the American flag be raised just felt so special.

I hope when people look at these photos, and the issue as a whole, I hope they see the power, strength, and beauty in female athletes, and I hope young girls look at these photos and see that all bodies are beautiful. Whether you're an athlete or whatever you look like, there is strength and power and beauty within you too.