JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A UNF Health Administration student is packing up his swim gear, getting ready to head over to England to take on world class competition.
Morgan Ray will compete in the 2023 World Para Swimming Championship in Manchester, England.
One of the most memorable moments in Ray's life was the last lap at last year's World Para Swimming Championships in Portugal.
"I hit the wall," said Ray. "I don't even know where to look for the clock. I look up, down, left and right. I see the number two next to my name. I start balling."
Ray vividly remembers his last minute comeback to take home a silver medal on the world stage.
He wasn't sure he was even going to be able to get in the water.
"Three days into training camp, I tested positive for COVID. After that, I was quarantined in my hotel room for five days."
His positive COVID test kept him from half of his events.
Ray used the tub in his hotel room to try to keep himself ready for competition.
Winning that medal made it all worth it.
"That really re-opened my love for the sport, because having it taken away from me in that moment made me realize just how much I wanted it," said Ray.
Ray says swimming has always been a good fit with his diagnosis - the most common form of short-stature dwarfism.
"I feel free," said Ray. "With my diagnosis, achondroplasia, there's a lot of people who have constant joint pressure, which causes pain. When you're in the water, there's pretty much no gravity, so all that goes away and I can just work out."
He's turned it into a passion.
This year, hopefully COVID-free, Ray is ready to win some more hardware for Team USA at the world championship in Manchester, England in two weeks.
And it won't stop there - Ray plans on competing for a spot on the team headed to Paris for the 2024 Paralympics.
"I'm going to do this as long as I can, compete at this level too," said Ray. "I'm finally hitting the sweet spot where I'm at the top of my game. I have more to go."
Ray has three events to get to once he's England.
His first event is a 200IM on his birthday, then he has a relay before wrapping up with his best stroke, the breast.