WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Evan Wilkerson is almost completely blind and has been training for the Paralympics for years.
Every stroke. Every kick. Every tap.
“It makes me a little nervous, but it’s kind of just like another day in the office,” Wilkerson said. “You know, when you swim all the time, kind of becomes, like, your job.”
All the hard work gets him one lap closer to his dream.
“When I heard them call my name, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I actually made it,’” Wilkerson said. “And then I was like, OK, what do I do now? Now that I’ve reached this, you know, because that was my goal for eight years was hearing my name get called to go to Paris.”
He will soon be diving into the competition at the Paralympic games in Paris. Although it’s exciting, Wilkerson says it’s also a little intimidating.
“It’s a bigger stage, but the pool is still 50 meters long,” Wilkerson said. “It’s still full of chlorinated water. Crowd might be a little bit bigger, but you’re still going to have the cheering, still going to have the same equipment at the same camp, the same goggles. So, I just got to get out there and let the training take over and hope for the best.”
Wilkerson was born with Leber congenital amaurosis — a rare genetic condition that left him almost completely blind.
“I visualize a lot,” Wilkerson said. “And so since I can’t see the venue or anything, I try to visualize everything, every sound that’s going on around me.”
That means he uses a tapper to let him know when he’s nearing the edge of the pool. It’s a role filled by his mom Traci Wilkerson during almost every practice. However, she’ll be taking a back seat at the Paralympics.
A tapper lets Evan Wilkerson know when he gets to the end of the lane. (Spectrum News 1/Jenna Rae Gaertner)
“I love being his tapper and spending time with him,” Traci Wilkerson said. “And so to be an observer at the games will be like this nice moment where I just get to watch and see everything finally.”
Traci Wilkerson says the whole family will be joining Evan Wilkerson in Paris to cheer him on.
“It’s so exciting, but I don’t even know if I’ve processed it,” Traci Wilkerson said. “I just had faith in him that he would do it. So it’s almost like it’s not a surprise. But it is.”
Just because he made it to the Paralympics doesn’t mean Evan Wilkerson can rest now. He’s most excited to meet all the other Paralympic athletes and hear their stories.
“I’m just really excited to be able to get out there and go swim and just see what happens,” Evan Wilkerson said.
The Paralympics run Aug. 28 through Sept. 8.
Evan Wilkerson’s main event is the 100-meter backstroke, in which he’s currently sixth in the world para swimming rankings. He also qualified for the 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly and the four by 100-meter freestyle relay.