A Swift Rise Has Para Swimmer Chloe Cederholm Dreaming Big Things, While Inspired By A Certain Pop Star
by Karen Price
Chloe Cederholm’s eyes grow wide and a big smile blossoms across her face when asked about Taylor Swift, and she can quickly rattle off which songs she likes best to fit which circumstances.
In that, the diehard Swiftie is in similar company as lots of 13-year-olds. Unlike many kids her age, Cederholm recently won a pair of medals in swimming at the Parapan American Games Santiago 2023 in Chile. The seventh grader from Salt Lake City was not only the youngest athlete representing the United States, but also among the three youngest athletes at the entire international multi-sport event, and she now has her sights set on next summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris.
Cederholm was born with a rare genetic disorder called McCune-Albright syndrome, which creates numerous challenges in her life. Hard work is something with which she is very familiar, and it’s why she loves Swift for more than just her music.
“A lot of people don’t realize all the work that swimming takes,” Cederholm said. “Most of it occurs behind the scenes. Most of Taylor Swift’s work is behind the scenes. To me, her dedication, work ethic and will to achieve is what makes her so inspirational and makes me want to push myself even further, especially when no one is watching. Because eventually your hard work will be noticed.”
Cederholm started swimming when she was just 4 years old. It’s one of the few activities she can do with her disorder, which causes hormonal issues as well as fibrous dysplasia from her spine down. Her hips are prone to popping out of place and her bones can break easily, so she isn’t allowed to run, jump or do anything that creates impact to her lower body.
I learned that success definitely takes some time, and it’s not just going to come. Your mom’s not going to serve it for dinner. You have to work for it.
“So growing up I couldn’t do a lot of the things that the kids in my school could, and sometimes that was hard,” said Cederholm, who serves as her class president and enjoys English and math the most. “But I found swimming, and I just loved it because it felt like I could really do anything in the water.”
Swimming helps develop much-needed muscles and strength, and also feeds Cederholm’s active nature and competitive spirit. But the condition affects her kick and her ability to completely control her legs in the water.
“I got disqualified in my 100 butterfly two or three years back and I was really upset because it was because my legs were apart because of my hips,” she said. “I was like, ‘I cannot control this so, what am I supposed to do?’”
She found the answer in Para swimming.
As in other Para sports, swimmers receive a classification dependent upon their level of impairment, and race against others in that classification. She went to her first Para meet, the California Classic, in 2021, received her national certification, and has been moving up the ranks with Team USA ever since.
Cederholm turned 13 just a week before leaving for Santiago, marking the milestone with a sleepover with her grandmother and cousin. The celebration continued at the Parapan Am Games when she won a bronze medal in her first race, the 200-meter individual medley SM10, and followed that with a silver medal in her favorite event, the 100-meter backstroke S10.
Although she loves swimming, it doesn’t come without pain beyond what able-bodied athletes go through in training and competition. She often has to use mobility canes to help her walk immediately after races because of fatigue.
“I’m really lucky I found swimming, though, because if my legs didn’t have muscles it would be really hard and I probably would have broken many, many bones,” she said.
Pain is a daily part of Cederholm’s life.
“Sometimes I don’t think she realizes how much pain she’s in because it’s her normal,” said her mother, Katie Cederholm.
Katie Cederholm wasn’t able to stay in the athlete’s village with her daughter in Santiago but knew she was in good hands with her coaches and teammates looking after her. After Chloe accidentally lost her brand-new phone — a birthday present — on the bus coming home from the Opening Ceremony, they made sure she could use their phones to stay in touch with her mom and relayed important emails and other team information.
“You could tell how well they treated her because, as cheesy as it sounds, she was glowing when I saw her,” said Katie Cederholm, who was at all of her daughter’s races in Santiago. “She just looked so happy and so confident. It was an amazing gift as a mom to know that your barely-turned 13-year-old was as happy and as well taken care of as she was.”
In mid-December, Cederholm raced at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in Orlando, Florida, and set an American record with her gold-medal performance in the women’s 200-meter backstroke S10.
Her recent achievements haven’t come without hard work and frustration the past few months. Leading up to Santiago, she said, she’d been working harder than ever to be as prepared as possible, but not seeing corresponding drops in time.
But she also read about how Swift prepared for the Eras Tour by singing her setlist while running and walking on a treadmill for three hours, behind the scenes.
“I learned that success definitely takes some time, and it’s not just going to come,” said Cederholm, who, like her idol, also enjoys writing song lyrics. “Your mom’s not going to serve it for dinner. You have to work for it. And just know that you can’t give up because if you give up you’ll never know what would have happened.
"That’s what gets me up in the morning or gets me to go to practice, is just knowing that what if I never tried to get further than I am? I would never know. It would be too late. So I make sure I’m doing everything I can to reach my goals and be happy with myself.”
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