As the final week of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games gets underway, the United States is looking to add to their 45 medals — 15 of which are gold. And the winner of the first of those gold medals joined Scripps News to talk about her Paralympic journey and what it was like to stand alone atop the podium.
U.S. swimmer Gia Pergolini won gold in the 100m backstroke S13, and then just two days later took home silver in the 50m freestyle. She said the whole experience was "so unreal."
RELATED STORY | Para archer Jodie Grinham of Great Britain is first to win Paralympics medal while pregnant
"It was amazing," Pergolini added. "I knew going into it that I had a very high possibility of being the United States' first gold medal and I wanted it really bad. Seeing the Olympians dominate the Olympics a month prior with their gold count and their medal count, I wanted to do that here and I'm glad I was able to do that for my country."
When asked what the moment was like right before the buzzer went off to begin the race, Pergolini said her mind just went blank and adrenaline took over.
RELATED STORY | First American woman to lose limb in active Iraq combat, on the Paralympian mindset
"I blacked out in that moment," she told Scripps News. "In my 100 back, I heard my family in the crowd and that's all I thought, was just having my family there to support me and I was just, I kind of went into autopilot at that point. I'm like 'You got this. You know your body's capable of doing what you came here to do, which is to win the gold.'"
You can watch our full interview with Paralympian Gia Pergolini in the video player above.
