Update: Amy Dixon finished fifth in the world on Sunday at the ITU World Paratriathlon Championships!
Even without her sight, Greenwich resident Amy Dixon is turning her vision of being a world champion paratriathlete into reality.
Dixon, a world-ranked competitor, lost 98 percent of her eyesight in her early 20s, after contracting an inflammatory eye disease called uveitis.
Now she runs, bikes and swims as part of Team USA, and her latest accomplishments have her competing in the Rotterdam ITU Paratriathlon World Championships this past weekend.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to represent the United States again,” Dixon said just hours before her flight to the Netherlands. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to check out the course and be in a new place.”
This year marks Dixon’s third year at the World Championships; previous competitions sent her to Chicago, Canada, Japan and other places around the globe.
Dixon—who has endured 19 eye surgeries—spends up to seven hours a day on training and recovery, and her favorite local training spots include Tod’s Point, the Greenwich High School track and the Greenwich YMCA.
“I train everyday at the YMCA,” Dixon said. “I’m down at Tod’s Point on the weekends, and I open-water swim with some of the Rye Triathlon Club.”
She says the ground at Tod’s Point also offer a friendly and safe environment for her longer runs. Amy and her guide dog, Woodstock, were matched through the Fidelco Guide Dogs Foundation in Bloomfield, Conn.
However, on her trip to Rotterdam, it will be her unimpaired race partner Susanne Davis of Carlsbad, Calif., guiding them to the finish line.
In May, the pair captured a gold medal at the ITU Yokohama Triathlon while riding on a tandem bike and tethered together while running and swimming.
Sunday’s event features a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and a five-kilometer run in downtown Rotterdam.
She says the history of the paralympic competitions and those who she often competes with inspire her to be an elite triathlete.
“The paralympic movement was founded after World War II in the 1950’s to help returning veterans who were wounded in combat to help them get back to being physically active,” Dixon said. “A lot of the athletes I train and race with are Iraq or Afghanistan veterans. They suffered horrible tragedies to their bodies and for them to be able to push through those limitations, it really inspires me to push myself.”
Dixon is also an advocate for glaucoma patients as vice-president of Glaucoma Eyes International. The group serves patients around the country and helps them get treatment and medication for the eye disease. They connect patients with some of the leading doctors and advocate for patients in their office.
Amy says after the competitive season is over, she will shift her focus to advocating, but come Sunday she and her partner, Susanne, will have their focus on bringing back a medal on behalf of Team USA.
