The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has announced members of the U.S. Paralympics Swimming Team. Amongst the 34-person team, consisting of 24 women and ten men, is RecPlex Patriots Swim Team member Keegan Knott. She will be the youngest member of the swim team representing the United States in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The games will be held between August 24 and September 5, featuring about 4,400 athletes from an estimated 100 countries.
Knott is one of 11 first-time Paralympians on the team. Although this is her first Paralympic appearance, she has been competitively swimming since she was seven and joined U.S. Paralympics Swimming when she was nine. Knott lives in Lake Villa, IL, and primarily trains at RecPlex in Pleasant Prairie, WI. Knott competed in the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships in 2018 and finished third in the 400-meter Freestyle and fourth in the 100-meter Backstroke, 200-meter Individual Medley, and 100-meter Freestyle. In 2019 Knott was named to her first National Team representing Team USA in Lima, Puru. In April of 2021, Knott competed in the Para World Series Championships in Lewisville, TX, where she was a finalist in all her qualified events.
Recently, Knott represented the Pleasant Prairie Patriots Swim Team at the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team Trials held at the University of Minnesota from June 17 to June 19. Her placement at the event earned her a spot on the U.S. Paralympics Swim Team. Para Swimming sorts swimmers by classifications ranging 1-14. Keegan is an SB8 (Breaststroke), S9 (freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke), and SM9 (Individual Medley) swimmer. She will represent Team USA at the Summer Paralympic Games, competing in S9 Classification Women's 400-meter Freestyle.
NBC Universal will air a record 1,200 hours of Paralympic coverage from the Tokyo Games, including the first NBC primetime broadcasts in history as part of unprecedented programming for a Paralympic Games. The Tokyo Paralympics run from August 24 to September 5. Toyota will present the coverage, including more than 200 TV hours among NBC, NBCSN, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. Plus debut streaming coverage on Peacock and comprehensive live streaming on NBC Sports digital platforms totaling more than 1,000 hours.