Swimmer Braxton Wong On What The Future Holds For The Paralympic Hopeful

On the cusp of graduating high school, 18-year-old Braxton Wong has his future figured out more than a lot of adults. 

Just months away from graduating high school, the Clovis, California native has just been accepted to swim at California Baptist University on their “regular roster,” as told to us by his mom Tamera Wong. “We’re so excited!”

The two were in Orlando, Florida for the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships, where Wong was competing and his mom had been hired to officiate as she is a certified U.S. swim official and a Para swim official.

By the end of the penultimate day, Braxton had already landed on the podium twice — taking third in the 400m freestyle S6-S14 and second in the 100m backstroke S6-S14. He attributed his lack of nerves to having just swam at his first international competition, the Parapan American Games Santiago 2023. 

Proudly discussing the impact of sports on Braxton’s life, his mom emphasized, “Sports have been vital. It’s the lifeline that really teaches them so many skills that you can’t teach from a book. You have to go and do and be. It’s been super fun to have front row seats to seeing him achieve these goals and dreams. It’s so satisfying as a parent.”

In addition to his own progress, Braxton has embraced the role of mentorship, revealing that he’s had “some opportunities to help some of the younger people” like his mentor growing up did for him.

He cited Team USA Para swimmer David Gelfand, who won silver and bronze at the most recent Parapan Games, as someone he has been shadowing soon after, starting swimming at age 12 when his mom first enrolled him in a summer program for beginners.

“He was really the one who helped me along and has given me so many tips,” Braxton shared. “We’re in the same classification, so looking up to him and his times have pushed me. Each meet getting slightly closer to his times is just amazing.”

Another person who shares their classification is Braxton’s younger brother (and one of his 11 siblings; Tamera and her husband Brian have five biological children and seven adopted children from China, all with disabilities). 

“Braxton has done a great job of reaching down to his younger brother, Bennett, who’s missing an arm and also a swimmer with Clovis Swim Club,” Tamera said. “It was really cute, the other day I heard Bennett say when I get my qualification and can go to Nationals. He’s 11 and to see him aspire to be like his brother and have the confidence to go ‘when I get there,’ not ‘if I can’ or ‘maybe I can’ because he’s seeing other people do it.” 

Braxton, who was born with a deformed right leg, was not quite four years old when his parents adopted him. “I will never forget the day we found out we were going to have an amputation,” Tamera said, “We were like, Yes!,” she laughed, remembering the doctors being confused by her reaction. 

“Because Braxton had a residual limb that was not functional, we knew if he could have a prosthetic he could start moving around and being independent,” she said about his amputation surgery that took his right leg, just above the knee.

But with excitement came questions of the unknown. “We had never parented an amputee before, so I asked the doctors, how do we parent disability? They told us to get him physically active in as many things as his typically developing, physically developing peers are doing. So, we tried a lot of things,” Tamera remembered.

There was tumbling, which she said, “he was amazing at.” Then track and field, which “I hated,” Braxton interjected. And then swimming. “I remember, he went to his first swim meet in regular swim trunks and did fabulous,” Tamera said. “That was his entry into adaptive sports, and he’s never looked back since.”

Swimming has opened so many opportunities for him, as well as benefited him physically.

“It’s been really good on my hips,” Braxton said. “That’s one of the main reasons why I quit gymnastics. Swimming has helped strengthen them. Being in the water and being with my friends, I really enjoy it.”

Going forward, Braxton is setting his hopes on U.S. Paralympic Team Trials — Swimming, which is taking place in June in Minneapolis.

“I’m really excited. I didn’t get to go to the last one because I was pretty young, and then COVID happened,” Braxton said.

No matter what happens, his family plans to be there to support him along the way. 

“I’m hoping to officiate at the Paralympic Trials and maybe we’ll be rooting for him in the stands in Paris,” Tamera shared. “Whether it’s the Paralympic team or whether it’s nationals or whether it’s a local swim meet, we’re always rooting for him — no matter the outcome.”

Lisa Costantini has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than a decade, including for the International Olympic Committee. She is a freelance writer who has contributed to TeamUSA.com since 2011.