Jessica Heims prepping for international stage again

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jessica Heims' future goes far beyond the horizon.

Although the summer seemingly just started, Heims already has accomplished so much.

Earlier this month, she finished second in her division in the discus at the US Paralympic National Championships at UCLA.

'What I got in my throwing, was about what I was expecting,' Heims said. 'In practice, I had a little farther throws, but I was happy with it.

'I was going to take it and not complain.'

Heims, who was born with a birth defect and had her right leg amputated when she was a year old, was unable to run at nationals because of a hip injury. She is slowly building her stamina back through workouts with Coach Bill Calloway, who recently retired from coaching track at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

At practice last week, Heims was running 200-meters intervals to build stamina and strength.

Calloway said sprinters like Heims lose stamina quickly while recovering from injury 'if they're not trained the right way.'

Heims is hoping to get back into the swing of things by August. She will be traveling to Switzerland for the World Para Athletics Junior Championships. She is the only one listed on the United States roster who also competed at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

'It's a little bit of pressure, but I'd rather have that right now,' she said. 'I've had harder meets.'

Unlike Rio, she said, 'there aren't world record holders and then me behind them. I think I have more confidence going in than pressure probably.'

At Rio, Heims competed in the 400-meter dash and the discus. She finished seventh in the 400 and eighth in discus.

She is looking to compete those same events in Switzerland.

'I'm looking to get under my 400-meter PR from Rio,' said Heims, who ran 1:11.17 in Rio. 'We'll see exactly how that goes with the whole injury training thing. I'm looking to go over 28-meters in the discus.'

When Heims qualified for the Paralympics, she became an idol for many people in the area.

'It's been a little crazy,' she said. 'I like knowing that other people have confidence in me. Even if I don't do so great, they'll still support me. That's nice to have.'

Heims' favorite part of track and field is not racking up medals or proving people wrong, but the relationships she has made through the sport.

'I like knowing that the other Paralympic athletes are there for me when I'm going into a big meet, such as nationals,' she said. 'It makes it not overly pressurized.

'Natalie Bieule is the other thrower and holds the American record right now. If we throw farther than the other, we're going to be super happy. We might be angry with our performance, but we will be super thrilled for the other one. I love that.'

Heims graduated from Prairie High School this spring and will be attending the University of Northern Iowa in the fall. She will continue competing in track and field.

'I actually just had orientation on Monday and Tuesday at UNI,' she said with a smile. 'I was worried they'd forget about me. I thought people might see me as a burden.'

Heims has accomplished a lot in 18 years and her future seems endless.

'UNI doesn't usually coach one-legged people, but I'm so excited,' she said. 'It's going to be new, it's going to be hard, but I think I'm ready for the challenge.'