Inspiring The Next Generation of Paralympians: Amy Dixon

Paralympic triathlete Amy Dixon is aiming for her second Paralympic Games this summer in Paris and has a goal of inspiring the next generation of paralympians.

San Diego-based Paralympic triathlete and cyclist Amy Dixon was an active kid. She loved horseback riding, swim team, tennis, and soccer. 

It wasn’t until her early 20s mysterious eyesight issues began plaguing her. She was eventually diagnosed with uveitis. This is an inflammation of often healthy eye tissue that can lead to blindness and other eye problems. 

Instead of letting progressive blindness erase Dixon’s dreams, she proverbially pushed back against the disease. Not letting this stop her proven by a successful career as a sommelier and becoming a Paralympic triathlete and cyclist. 

Understanding Amy Dixon’s Journey

After Dixon’s uveitis diagnosis in her early 20s, her active lifestyle became difficult because of the medical steroids she was put on to try to slow the disease.

“I gained 75 pounds while on steroids – and that was at a time when I wasn’t really exercising,” Dixon says. “It inspired me to start running, even though I was traditionally not a runner and actually hated it. However, running helped me lose some of that 75 pounds.”

Over the next decade, Dixon was in and out of remission with the progression of uveitis and grew her career as a sommelier in the New York City area. In Dixon’s words, she knew her disease would not impact her nose or palate. This allowed her to hone her skills as a sommelier and helped businesses with retail wine sales. 

The Unlikely Journey to Paralympian

Despite having been in remission for nearly a decade, when Dixon was 32, she lost her remaining eyesight. Once again she was faced with significant weight gain as a result of medications. 

Knowing that she had to keep her body moving for her health, Dixon joined an aqua fitness class.

“At first, I was mortified by what my body looked like in a bathing suit, but all the ladies in the class were so welcoming,” Dixon says. “One of them eventually encouraged me to do a ‘swim-a-thon’ at the YMCA, and that’s how I began swimming again after decades away from the sport.

Dixon reignited her love of swimming after the swim-a-thon. From there she began joining spin classes (with her seeing eye dog laying on a yoga mat by her bike) at the YMCA. To boot, Dixon would tie herself to a treadmill with a stretchy band to prevent herself from falling off, and she would run multiple times a week.

Dixon was basically a triathlete, but she didn’t think of herself as one. That was until someone reached out to her through social media and offered to guide her in her first triathlon in 2013. 

Little did Dixon know just how far that triathlon journey would take her. 

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Rio, Tokyo, and… Paris? 

Dixon became hooked on triathlon – and she was good at it, too. 

“In 2015 I made the national team in paratriathlon, but I just missed out on qualifying for the 2016 Rio Paralympics,” Dixon says. “It was heartbreaking – I was an alternate and briefly debated not continuing with the sport, but I ultimately decided to try to qualify again at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.” 

Then, of course, the pandemic happened. And for Dixon, the pandemic era was incredibly difficult. She faced the COVID-induced isolation that many of us did. Dixon persevered through a flare-up of rheumatoid arthritis that caused incredible damage to her shoulder. This would lead to a pulmonary embolism that left her lungs in poor shape. In addition, Dixon gained 45 pounds during this time period and battled disordered eating as a result.

“My Paralympic experience in Tokyo was rough because I was in tears everyday,” Dixon says. “But I was fortunate to have a whole team around me that got me through it like my guide, my coach, my sports psychologist, and the athletes that surrounded me.”

Now, Dixon is in the final throes of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympics in track cycling. 

“After Tokyo, I realized that I really love riding my bike – it’s the closest thing I have to driving a convertible with my hair down, which I used to love doing,” Dixon says. “I’ve won a handful of national titles on the track and will be trying to qualify for Paris at a qualifying event in California.”

One of Dixon’s biggest challenges this Paralympic cycle has been having a consistent pilot. Pilot is the word for the person with sight who guides Dixon on the bike. If you are an experienced cyclist in the San Diego area, consider reaching out to her!

Inspiring the Next Generation of Paralympians

Dixon knows that her time to qualify for another Paralympics after Paris may be limited. Instead of lamenting this, she is focused on inspiring the next generation of paralympians.

“I’m 48, this is probably my last Paralympic Games. My body is constantly in pain. I am super sore and exhausted, even though I love training and the process,” Dixon says. “I want to show others that there is a way forward. We will be faced with what may seem like impossible diagnoses or conditions but we can move forward.”

Dixon keeps a host of tandem bikes in her garage. She loans them out to para-cyclists and -triathletes throughout the year, free of charge. She also runs a camp for athletes experiencing sight challenges called No Sight, No Limits. Beyond the camp, she offers clinics across the country. 

“Helping and inspiring the next generation of paralympians and para-athletes builds confidence and success is really validating and rewarding,” Dixon says. “For me now, it’s incredibly exciting to watch these younger athletes go from inexperienced and perhaps with little confidence to qualifying for World Cups. For some, even the Paralympic Games. If I never do another triathlon or Paralympic games, I’m so excited about helping the next generation rise to the top.”

You can follow Dixon’s journey to the Paris Paralympic Games on her Instagram account.