Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad is one of the great athletes of her age. The 74-year-old author, speaker, and long-distance swimmer has accomplished feats that include swims around Manhattan and from the Bahamas to Florida. She made history in 2013 at age 64, when she became the first person to report swimming from Cuba to Florida without the use of a protective shark cage.

This year Annette Bening brings Nyad’s extraordinary crossing to life in a Netflix biopic, Nyad, alongside Jodie Foster as Nyad’s coach and friend Bonnie Stoll. The film comes out just in time for the 10th anniversary of what Nyad calls her proudest moment: “I just turned 74 this August, and I say to myself all the time that I don’t want the Cuba swim to be the biggest thing I’ve ever done. I strive every day, in every way, to live a big life, but let’s face it, the Cuba swim is the biggest thing I’ve ever done.”

Nyad’s past has not been without controversy. In February 2022, the Find a Way author wrote a divisive op-ed in The Washington Post arguing that trans and cisgender women should not compete against one another in elite sports. But after “a lot of deep dive thinking,” Nyad’s views have evolved.

“I have come to understand that the science is far more complex than I thought, and there are clearly more educated experts than I who are creating policy to ensure that elite sports are both fair and inclusive of all women. I regret weighing in on that conversation and any harm I may have caused,” Nyad says. “Also, in recent times, the climate for the transgender community has turned dire and dangerous. I now see how all women are negatively affected by the ways transgender women are targeted by discrimination and abuse in sports and elsewhere.”

“I am today firmly on the side of inclusion. Trans women athletes deserve our utmost respect. I stand with them in the world of sports and in the fight for full equality for all trans people. We are all sisters and siblings under the blue sky, and we should all have equal opportunities to play the sports we choose, the sports we love.” @diananyad