Abrahams’ career vision taking him to Tokyo
Legally blind swimmer to take part in Paralympic Games »
David Abrahams was 12 years old when he knew something was different.
It was then that he first heard of the disease that would eventually rob him of his sight. Abrahams was an excellent swimmer, competing first with Baldwin Aquatics, then Radnor Aquatic Club during the winters and Karakung Swim Club in the summer. Around the time his vision loss accelerated at 13, he was on the cusp of a high school swimming career at Haverford.
As things changed drastically, from the normal challenges teens face to the rare condition deteriorating his vision, the pool was Abrahams’ refuge. His passion was there, his friends were there. And in the water, Abrahams found a way to release the emotions that collected outside of it.
“It was the cathartic release of training itself,” Abrahams, now 20, said recently. “I was at times kind of worked up with my vision loss as a teenager, so having that ritual of training, to be able to manage that and get rid of it in a physical way, almost releasing your energy and pent-up stress, was really helpful.”
By any standard, Abrahams has accomplished a tremendous amount in the pool, as a standout at Haverford and at Harvard. Next week, he’ll add another accolade to his resume, representing the United States at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
Abrahams has Stargardt disease, also known as juvenile macular degeneration. The genetic disorder degrades the retina from the center outward, progressing rapidly through the teen years. It has left Abrahams with only peripheral vision, enough to be designated as legally blind from age 13.
The sight loss didn’t hold him back, however. Certainly not in the classroom, where he’s a math major at Harvard. Certainly not in the pool, where he qualified for the PIAA championships on three occasions. He was the states runner-up in the boys 100 breast as a senior, after finishing fourth the previous year and 11th as a sophomore.
Abrahams also made it to states in the 200 individual medley, as part of two Fords medley relays and earned a District 1 title in the 100 breast. He blossomed as a long-course swimmer after his junior year, attaining a cut for U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
When Haverford coach Matt Stewart first met Abrahams before his freshman year, he had a conversation with parents Rebecca and Doug Abrahams. Their message was that David knew what he needed to do and would be responsible for most what he’d come up against.
Abrahams’ main issue, Stewart reflects now, was simply reading the clock. As long as someone could communicate the set and the intervals – Stewart says Abrahams is an incredible listener – he was fine. His teammates helped him find his lane for races and navigate unfamiliar venues for meets, but beyond that, he was like any sighted swimmer in the water.
“In terms of how he was going to participate in a team and do all that, he just wanted to be treated like everyone else,” Stewart said. “… As far as managing the actual swimming, you would’ve never known, just because he was very good about doing what he needed to be in a position to complete his race.”
Abrahams used his limitations to his advantage. Stewart calls him a meticulous technician, especially in breaststroke. Knowing his vision issues, Abrahams always counts strokes and has developed textbook walls, analyzing video of training sessions to refine his technique.
Despite all his success, para swimming wasn’t an option Abrahams knew of until the COVID-19 pandemic pause. With a Paralympic year looming, he was introduced to Brian Loeffler, the head coach at Loyola University in Maryland and a one-time national Paralympic coach of the year. Loeffler opened up the possibility for Abrahams, and the laser focus that has characterized his career took over from there.
“It was something that didn’t really sink in or that I didn’t really believe for a couple of weeks after I had that conversation with them,” Abrahams said. “It was over quarantine, there wasn’t much to do, so it was something that was on the forefront of my mind. It was incredibly exciting news, so I got back in the pool and started training again once I heard that.”
Of course, COVID disrupted his training. Abrahams completed his first season at Harvard before the pandemic shut down college sports. The Ivy League stuck with its decision last summer to cancel the 2020-21 season entirely, leaving Abrahams and his teammates without training or competition, in a sport where a year’s hiatus is as good as retirement.
Abrahams tried to stay in the Greater Boston area to train with little success. He eventually moved to Southern California, with a friend who lived in La Jolla. With more pools and the option of year-round outdoor swimming, he earned a spot at the Coronado Swim Association. That club is under the umbrella of Team Elite, led by David Marsh, the 12-time NCAA champion coach at the University of Auburn. He’s worked chiefly with one of Marsh’s top deputies, Troy Nissen.
“It’s unbelievable,” Abrahams said. “I never really had the opportunity to witness the pro side of swimming, and that was something that we were blessed to be able to do, to train with the pros. That was really cool. It’s something I definitely look back on fondly.”
Abrahams’ results reflect that. Classified as SB13, the least restrictive of three classes for visually impaired swimmers, Abrahams set the American record in the 100-meter breaststroke in April at the Para Swimming World Series with a time of 1:04.07. He’s chasing the world record of 1:03.58, set in 2013, at the Paralympics.
At the Paralympic Trials in Minneapolis in June, he qualified for Tokyo in the 100 breast, 100 butterfly and 200 IM.
Abrahams’ ascent gives Haverford both a Paralympian and an Olympian (Ireland’s Shane Ryan) this summer. But the deeper meaning to the tight-knit swimming community lies in Abrahams’ personal journey.
“It’s a tribute to his hard work and his drive to just continue to improve in whatever way he possibly can,” Stewart said. “… When kids get to see someone like that and what he’s able to accomplish, you’re just incredibly proud of what he’s been able to do. It sets a great example to young kids.”
Abrahams admitted that his first para swimming meets were adjustments, much different from what he was accustomed to. He’s looking forward to returning to competition with Harvard, which means toggling between swimming and para swimming, though the training and mindset remains the same.
Para swimming, though, presents an opportunity that he wouldn’t have had otherwise, something that he knows is special and unique.
“It’s a big commitment, a big responsibility to be able to represent the USA on the world stage,” Abrahams said. “What I want to get out of this is to have a great experience that I’ve never had before, to experience something different, obviously more different than I’ve ever done in the past. I’m the kind of person that loves to try anything that’s presented to me. It obviously can’t get much more different than this, so I’m excited to meet some new people and swim fast as well.”