Words by Hannah Shaw
We profile the life and work of Jamal Hill, an athlete carving a path for the Black community both in and out the swimming pool.
Like many of us, Jamal Hill’s first experience in the water was at a YMCA “Mommy & Me” class. Now, at age 24, he’s an international swimming machine. Not to mention, in between all that, he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease: a hereditary neurological condition that can result in progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation in the body. But he never let that stop him from earning his world-class title. This is the story of Jamal Hill.
Growing up in LA, Hill lived a pretty normal childhood until he suffered full body paralysis at age 10. Doctors diagnosed him with CMT, which prevents his brain from communicating with his limbs effectively. Now, it may sound as though swimming would be off the cards for someone with this condition, but not for Hill. Through self-belief and determination, he was able to regain his mobility – allowing him to become the States’ no. 1 Paralympic 100m free athlete he is today.
Despite prejudices, Hill continued to progress his career through high school and he received a scholarship to attend Hiram College, Ohio. He later went on to train under USC’s elite coach Dave Salo, putting in the grind to eventually become a Paralympic champ. The pandemic has brought the world to a stand-still, also sadly putting a stop to Hill’s dream of a gold medal at Tokyo 2020 – although we have no doubt it will happen for him at the next games.
Yes, Jamal Hill is a Paralympic legend, holding multiple titles across the board, including the Men’s S10 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle at the 2019 U.S.A Paralympic National Championships – but his story of success doesn’t finish there. In 2018, Hill established his charity, Swim Up Hill, an organisation that aims to teach one million people to swim, regardless of gender, race or creed in a global battle against drowning. Not only does Swim Up Hill provide swimming coaching and water safety lessons across underserved communities, the charity runs the pretty cool Water Wise Blog. Here, Jamal talks all things swimming and shares his fave tips, from the struggles of maintaining healthy hair whilst virtually living in a pool to how to choose the perfect swim cap.
Through his progressive career as a world-class athlete and his inspiring charity work, Jamal Hill is confronting all the stereotypes surrounding disability in sport. And if that’s not enough, he’s also an icon within the Black community. Unfortunately, the struggles that Black people face in the swimming world are still prevalent. However, with a growing number of movements addressing the issue – such as the Black Swimming Association and A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim (2020), which both explore the controversial stigma – the deserved level of representation is slowly but surely appearing in pools across the globe.
Jamal Hill is living proof that success is always within reach; he continues to pave the way for diversity within swimming and sport as a whole.
Check out how Serena Williams has also carved her name into the history books of sport.