Olympian Beisel To Swim From Point Judith To Block Island

NEW SHOREHAM, RI — Three-time Olympian and Rhode Island native Elizabeth Beisel plans to swim the 20 kilometer route from Point Judith to Block Island to raise funds for cancer research and clinical trials.

The swim is set for August 30, 2021. If successful, Beisel would be the first woman to complete the trip. She is hosting the charity swim in collaboration with Swim Across America.

One of Beisel’s close family members was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in December. The news prompted her to take action, Swimming World Magazine reports.

Beisel, 28, is a 2010 graduate of North Kingstown High School. She earned a spot on the U.S. national swim team when she was 13 years old, competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics as a teen, and swam for the University of Florida at Gainesville. Beisel won silver and bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, was a 2011 world champion in the 400-meter medley, and won gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. She volunteers with the Special Olympics and Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

“So many in the Swim Across America community have come to love Elizabeth because of how generous she is with her time and encouragement,” said Rob Butcher, CEO of Swim Across America. “This is our opportunity to show her our love and encouragement as she takes on the Block Island swim to honor her loved one’s fight against cancer.”

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