As the last week of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games will get underway, the United States is trying so as to add to their 45 medals — 15 of that are gold. And the winner of the first of these gold medals joined Scripps News to speak about her Paralympic journey and what it was like to face alone atop the podium.
U.S. swimmer Gia Pergolini won gold in the 100m backstroke S13, after which simply two days later took house silver in the 50m freestyle. She mentioned the complete expertise was “so unreal.”
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“It was superb,” Pergolini added. “I knew going into it that I had a really excessive risk of being the United States’ first gold medal and I wished it actually dangerous. Seeing the Olympians dominate the Olympics a month prior with their gold depend and their medal depend, I wished to do this right here and I’m glad I used to be in a position to do this for my nation.”
When requested what the second was like proper earlier than the buzzer went off to start the race, Pergolini mentioned her thoughts simply went clean and adrenaline took over.
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“I blacked out in that second,” she advised Scripps News. “In my 100 again, I heard my household in the crowd and that is all I assumed, was simply having my household there to assist me and I used to be simply, I sort of went into autopilot at that time. I’m like ‘You bought this. You know your physique’s able to doing what you got here right here to do, which is to win the gold.'”
You can watch our full interview with Paralympian Gia Pergolini in the video participant above.
