Dive Deep

With

Jamal Hill:
Medalist. Author. Non-Profit Founder.

J. Hill is a highly sought after Paralympic Medalist Swimmer. Currently a “Free Agent” his independent brand boasts record breaking reach and revenue. This Team USA professional swimmer, author, and philanthropist is a champion with a cause.

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.

-T. E. Lawrence (Seven Pillars of Wisdom, 1922)

SPEEDO PARTNER, JAMAL HILL

About Jamal:

B.1995

Los Angeles, CA

CURRENT COACH, TEAM

Wilma Wong, Swim Up Hill VICTORS

MAJOR SPONSORS

Speedo International
Decathlon USA

This is my story from paralysis to Paralympic champion. If it inspires you please share it with anyone you think would benefit from seeing it, thank you.

– Jamal J. Hill

2021 Paralympic Medalist, Jamal Hill

RECENT AWARDS/RECOGNITION

2021 Cullen Jones Aquatic Athlete of the Year Award, presented by Diversity in Aquatics

Jamal Hill was only 10 years old when his body started to fail him. He experienced total paralysis and doctors considered amputating his right arm. The diagnosis: Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) – a hereditary neurological condition that can result in progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation in the body.

CMT threatened to alter Jamal’s entire life, including his passion for swimming. But through sheer will, faith and determination Jamal has not only, over the years, regained his mobility, he is at the top of his game as a competitive swimmer. Today, at 26, the Los Angeles native is ranked #1 in the US Paralympic 50 Free and #3 in the world! As a result, is headed to Tokyo this year as a member of the 2021 US Paralympic Swim Team with an opportunity to bring home the gold.

Jamal developed a love for swimming through a local YMCA “Mommy & Me” swim class. It was evident that Jamal was a natural born swimmer. After his paralysis and recovery at age 10, his parents encouraged him to use CMT as an opportunity to overcome challenges and inspire others.

Jamal pushed through the pain and fear of being seen and treated differently and swam competitively in high school, receiving a swimming scholarship to Hiram College in Northeast Ohio. In three years, Jamal left Ohio to train under the University of Southern California’s Dave Salo and USC’s prestigious Trojan Elite Swim Team.

Jamal, who trains 14 hours every week, is now working with mental performance coach and swim consultant Wilma Wong. Jamal credits her innovative training style and techniques with improving his standing from unranked amateur to number one in the nation within one year.

Jamal’s passion for swimming extends well beyond his personal and professional goals for Tokyo 2021. The latest statistics from the World Health Organization show that roughly 360,000 people lost their lives to drowning in 2016. In the US, drowning ranks fifth among the causes of unintentional injury death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an attempt to lower the global drowning rate, Jamal founded the Swim Up Hill Foundation Inc. which will be teaching one million students how to swim annually by fall of 2028.

Jamal also uses his experiences with CMT as an opportunity to offer strategies on how to reach goals and live out dreams. In addition, he is dispelling myths around disability performance – and what that looks like. His story is not only empowering and inspiring, it is just beginning.
Follow Swim Up Hill on Instagram, @swimuphill

Titles

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2021

World Para Swimming World Series, Lewisville, Tx
MENS S10 50M FREESTYLE, 3RD

2021 U.S. Paralympic Trials, Minneapolis, Mn
MENS S9 50M FREESTYLE, 1st
Mens s9/s10 100m freestyle, 2nd
Mens s9 100m backstroke, 2nd

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
Mens S9 50m Freestyle, Bronze medal American record

2020

Jimi Flowers Classic
Colorado Springs, Co
Mens s10 50M freestyle, 1st
Mens s10 100m freestyle, 1st

2019

U.S.A Paralympic National Championships, Dallas, TX
Mens s10 100m freestyle, 1st
mens s10 100m backstroke, 1st
mens s10 50m freestyle, 1st

California Classic Invitational, Yucaipa, CA.
Mens S10 50m freestyle, 1st
Mens s10 100m freestyle, 1st
Mens s10 100m backstorke, 1st

Para Pan American Games 2019, Lima,Peru
Mens S10 50M Freestyle, 2nd
MEns 34-Point Freestyle Relay, 3rd
Mens 34-point Medley relay, 3rd

British Para-Swimming International 2019/WPS, GLA
Mens s1o 100m freestyle,3rd
mens s10 50m freestyle, 2nd

Indianapolis 2019 WPS World Series
Mens s10 100m freestyle,2nd
mens s10 1oom backstroke, 2nd
mens s10 100m breast, 3rd
mens s10 50m freestyle, 3rd

2018

U.S.A.Paralympic National Championships, AZ
MEns s9 50m butterfly, 1st
Mens s9 50m freestyle, 1st
mens s9 100m freestyle, 1st
mens multi-class 400m freestyle relay, 1st
mens S9 100m Backstroke, 2nd

California Classic Invitational
MEns s9 50m freestyle, 1st
Mens s9 50m breaststroke, 1st
mens s9 50m backstroke, 1st
mens S9 100m freestyle, 2nd

Stats

PERSONAL BEST TIMES
50M Freestyle, 00:25.19
100M Freestyle, 00:57.08

NATIONAL PARA-SWIMMING RANKING
Mens S9 100M Freestyle, #1
Mens S9 50M Freestyle, #1

GLOBAL PARA-SWIMMING RANKING
Mens S9 50M Freestyle, #3
Mens S9 100M Freestyle, #3

There are 13 classes of athletes in para swimming. The lower the number the more severe impact of activity limitation an athlete experiences according to designated classifiers. . The nature of Jamal’s disability has caused him to fluctuate between World Para Swimming classifications as an S9 and S10. Despite the constant uncertainty of classification Jamal continues to excell in whatever class he is categorized.

Jamal won his first national title at age 23 in 2018. It was his first time traveling outside California for a national competition as a member of Team USA. The experience motivated him to accelerate his physical and mental training to reach higher levels. 

Throughout 2020 by setting clear goals and experimenting with Coach Wong, the duo have been able to climb into the top 5 rankings of the world in both sprint freestyle events — a spot that hasn’t been held by an American S9 athlete in nearly a decade. 

Jamal was named to the 2021 Paralympic team on 6/21/2021 and set his sights set on bringing home some hard earned medals at his first Paralympic Games where he would compete in the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle, and team relays. Ultimately, Hill was able to secure a Bronze medal at his Paralympic Debut in the Men’s S9 50m Freestyle. Five years ago he made a promise with God to bring glory to the name of the Lord and saw it through. Whats next ? An even bigger stage… so stay tuned!