The 2024 Paralympics are underway in Paris and a number of athletes are establishing themselves as stars. For USA swimmer Anastasia Pagonis, she gets to shine in the pool after becoming a viral sensation outside of it.
Pagonis is a three-time World Champion and two-time Paralympic medalist, winning a gold and bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Now, she has her eyes set on adding more hardware to her trophy case.
The 20-year-old Long Island native is a social media star, amassing a following of more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok and nearly 430,000 followers on Instagram.
This is the story of Long Islander and Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagonis, who discovered that even without sight, she could find peace in the water. pic.twitter.com/QFTalOVlnZ
— Greater Long Island 📰 (@Greater_LI) August 28, 2024
Anastasia was diagnosed with autoimmune retinopathy which caused her vision to rapidly deteriorate at age 11 and she lost her vision at age 14. She has a guide dog named Radar who is always by her side, and she credits her dog for helping her through depression after losing her vision.
On TikTok, she raises awareness and changes the perception of those with vision loss, while also sharing beauty and fitness tips.
For her events, Anastasia must wear blackout goggles to keep anyone from having a competitive edge, and she makes sure to represent New York along the way.
New York ➡️ Paris
Long Island native Anastasia Pagonis is swimming in style at the #ParisParalympics. ✨ pic.twitter.com/b1cvSX29ZI
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 30, 2024
Anastasia will compete in the Women’s 400m final on Friday, August 30, before competing in the Women’s 50m on Saturday, August 31; Women’s 200M relay on Tuesday, September 3; and Women’s 100m on Saturday, September 7.
The Paralympics will run through Sunday, September 8.
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 00:06:00
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