Meet Sumbul Zafar: wife, mother of three children, dystonia advocate, competitive Para swimmer, and our 2024 Freedom to Move Ambassador.

Sumbul’s journey with swimming can be described as “full circle”. Her passion for swimming was ignited in early childhood with her first lesson taking place at age three and joining a competitive swim team at ten.

Shortly after qualifying for the 2014 Fina World Masters in Montréal, Sumbul suffered a stroke, which left residual impacts to the right side of her body. The involuntary muscle spasms and twisting of her body prevented Sumbul from attending the championships and eventually, she was diagnosed with dystonia.

Despite her diagnosis, Sumbul was determined to continue swimming. However, Sumbul was frustrated that she wasn’t swimming at the caliber that she had been prior to her stroke, and her confidence was shaken. She attempted to rejoin competitive swimming from 2015 to 2017 but fell short of completing those seasons due to a lack of understanding how to train with dystonia. It took another child and the pandemic to give Sumbul the time to look inward. She recognized that she had disengaged from the activities she loved and kept her world small to live a less challenging life. She also realized that she was not truly living her life to the fullest.

Returning to swimming with a renewed sense of clarity, Sumbul eagerly trained for the opportunity to compete in the 2023 Fina World Masters in Japan and upon registering for the season discovered the dystonia was an eligible physical impairment to be classified as a Para swimmer. Over the last year, Sumbul has had the opportunity to travel to the USA and France representing Canada on theWorld Para Swimming Series. Sumbul looks forward to continuing her training towards her goal of making a World Championship team and looks forward to continuing to represent Canada as a Para Swimmer in the years to come.

When asked how Sumbul balances pursuing her dream of competitive swimming, life with dystonia and her family responsibilities, she credits the power of her support network which includes her three children and her husband, Ryan. “It’s important to engage your support network when living with dystonia, as one diagnosis can change so many people’s lives. We work together as a team to achieve our goals while respecting each other’s boundaries and time” shares Sumbul. 

To read more about Sumbul’s journey with dystonia, please visit: https://dystoniacanada.org/sumbulzafar

You can follow Sumbul on Instagram @the.dystonia.yodha to get tips on preparing for this year’s event.