Lawrence Sapp

Started: His mother Dee and her husband Carlton took him to a summer swim club at age four and noticed he had a talent for the sport. In 2016 his mother initially ignored a letter from the US Paralympic swimming team regarding the possibility of him taking part in Para swimming, but agreed for him to try out at a meet a month later. (teamusa.org, 01 Dec 2020; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 30 Sep 2020; Athlete, 06 Dec 2017) Reason: "As I got older, I got better at competing. I started meeting new people and I was able to start travelling. It is something that I am good at. In a lot of other sports, if the coach doesn't put you in, then you don't get to play and only certain players get to shine. In swimming, the strokes are the same for everyone and the rules are the same for everyone. You get to sign up for what you want to swim and then do your best." (blackkidsswim.com, 24 Jul 2020) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (usparaswimming.org, 14 Sep 2023; lawrencesapp.com, 20 Nov 2023) Additional Info: UNIVERSITY CHANGE In 2023 he switched from the University of Cincinnati to the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "Swimming on a Division I or II team [of the National Collegiate Athletic Association] has been a dream of mine since I was in high school and now I have the chance to be a part of a great team with great coaches. I was told many times by coaches that I wasn't eligible to swim in college because of my academic needs and the programme that I need to support me. That wasn't true. The NCAA said I was eligible years ago. All I needed was a school and a coach willing to work with me and my academic programme." (umsl.edu, 20 Nov 2023; usparaswimming.org, 14 Sep 2023; teamusa.org, 01 Dec 2020; Athlete, 22 Aug 2021)