A testament to the enduring power of resilience, rising Para swimmer Rylee Sayer is all set for her Aquablacks debut at the World Para Swimming Championships (21-27 September 2025) in Singapore from Sunday.
The talented teenager, who celebrates her 17th birthday on day two of the championships, has enjoyed a stellar year and boasts a busy schedule as she competes in four events at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore – the Women’s 50m Freestyle S7, Women’s 100m Freestyle S7, Women’s 100m Breaststroke S7 and Women’s 50m Butterfly S7.
Born with tuberous sclerosis complex, a rare genetic condition which can cause tumours to grow in various organs, Rylee was enrolled in learn to swim lessons at the age of five by her mum, Amanda, after her daughter kept jumping in the water.
Quickly showing an aptitude for the sport, at the age of 13 – and competing as an athlete with an intellectual impairment – she broke multiple S14 New Zealand open records. Rylee went on to compete at the 2023 Virtus Global Games, finishing with a best placing of eighth in the Women’s Breaststroke SB7 final.
However, her life was to take a significant turn in October 2023 after she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer in her right shoulder. Rylee, who had been complaining of pain in her right arm for some time, had her right arm, clavicle and shoulder amputated to save her life later that year.
Yet undeterred and still undergoing chemotherapy in early January of last year, she returned to the pool.
“Before I was diagnosed with bone cancer, my coach sometimes asked me to swim with one arm during training, so I felt I’d adapted already,” explains Rylee, a Hauraki Plains College student. “The cancer and the amputation were tough at that time, but I just wanted to get back in the pool.”
Training six times a week under the coaching guidance of Graeme Laing out of the Matamata Swim Club, Rylee, who post-surgery now competes as an S7 Para swimmer, has recorded some impressive results.
She set a national open S7 record for the Women’s 50m Freestyle of 34.34 earlier this year and leading into the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, she is ranked in the world’s top ten in three events.
So, has she surprised herself how far she has come since adapting to the S7 classification?
“It is pretty surreal to get this far in such a short period of time, I didn’t lose my arm that long ago,” says Rylee, who went to the same primary (Kaihere School) and secondary school as Paralympian #211 Danielle Aitchison.
“I’m excited to compete at worlds, but I’ll also be nervous it will be a big environment for me to compete in,” admits Rylee, who is a big fan of Formula One. “This is my first worlds so I’m not expecting too much, but I’d love to make a final, set a PB and a New Zealand record.”
Yet whatever happens in Singapore you sense there are many more chapters still to be written in her Para swimming journey, so what does she hope to achieve in the future?
“I would love to compete at the Commonwealth Games for the experience, and I’d love to go to LA 2028 and hopefully Brisbane 2032,” she adds.
Which Kiwis will be competing at the event
The pinnacle Para swimming event of the year, the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore represents a good early staging post on the road to the LA28 Paralympic Games. Leading the team is four-time Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie MNZM, who competes in Singapore some 19 years after making his World Para Swimming Championships debut in South Africa. A three-time Paralympic gold medallist, he was frustrated to just miss out on a podium spot at Paris 2024 and will be determined to impress in the Men’s 50m Freestyle S4, Men’s 50m Backstroke S4 and Men’s 100m Freestyle S4.
Joining Leslie will be Commonwealth Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB champion Paralympian #238 Josh Willmer. The 20-year-old Aucklander has enjoyed an excellent season under his new coach Michael Weston, setting a national Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 record of 1:12.52 in May 2025, which ranks him number one in the world going into the World Para Swimming Championships. Paralympian #237 Gabriella Smith, 19, also takes to the water in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB9 and the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10.
Rounding out the New Zealand team are Sayer (see more above) and Aquablack debutant Asher Smith-Franklin. The 19-year-old Aucklander competes in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB14, Men’s 100m Butterfly S14 and Men’s Individual Medley 200m SM14.
When do the Kiwis compete?
For a full event schedule go here.
Where can I watch the action?
The 2025 World Para Swimming Championships will be livestreamed on the Paralympics YouTube channel here.
Cover Image: Simon Watts / www.bwmedia.co.nz @bwmedianz
