Anastasia Pagonis, a TikTok star with over two million followers, has become the first offical American gold medallist in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after her performance in the 400 metre freestyle.
While it is only her first Paralympics, Patagonis managed the incredible feat of breaking her own world record, which she set at the Paralympics trials in June.
Pagonis has a visual impairment, which is the result of autoimmune retinopathy. She lost most of her vision by the age of 14.
Her TikTok account has two million followers, with whom she shares her experiences of visual impairment along with her guide dog, Radar.
She posts humorous videos about her life, such as one called ‘what you hear in a restaurant v what I hear’, as well as videos tackling assumptions about blindness.
@anastasia_k_pdrives me insane♬ original sound – Anastasia Pagonis
@anastasia_k_pFun times♬ original sound – Anastasia Pagonis
Pagonis has shared her victory with her TikTok and Instagram followers, and will be continuing her Paralympics journey in the 50 metre freestyle on Friday morning.
Featured Image: YouTuve/Paralympic Games
