Walter Wu | Paralympic Gold: Swimming Against Stigmas

When Walter Wu’s parents enrolled him in swimming lessons at age 7, they never thought that a family hobby would launch one of the most successful careers of a Canadian Paralympic athlete. Born with less than ten percent of his vision, Walter Wu is considered legally blind – a diagnosis he only received at 17 years old. As a Class 13 Para swimmer, Walter is a 14-time medalist across four Paralympic Games (1992–2004), breaking records and defying expectations. In this episode, Walter explains how Paralympic swimming classifications are determined based on the degree of visual impairment, reflects on his surprisingly low-key life after retirement, and shares why he believes parents need to stop holding their children with disabilities back from trying sports. Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports is now on view at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown until September 2027. To learn more or book tickets, visit https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/.