The London Paralympic Games were the most successful ever, and New Zealand’s medal haul of 17 puts it just short of the team’s record set in Atlanta in 1996.
Paralympian Sophie Pascoe says she is more than happy with her person medal haul of six medals.
“I went in there wanting to do personal bests in every race. That’s all you can do, and I’ve definitely come out with my goals achieved,” she says.
Pascoe says the crowd support was overwhelming.
“We were in a crowd of 17,000 people in the pool every day, and if you were from New Zealand they were cheering you on just as hard as their own country, and it was an amazing feeling,” she says.
“When you went out there and the crowd was going so wild it just motivated you more, just the adrenalin pump really went through you, it was great.”
However she says the lack of TV coverage back home in New Zealand was disappointing, and that Paralympians deserve the same recognition as Olympians.
“I see myself on an equal par with able bodies, and I train with them. We train just as hard, we’re elite athletes,” she says.
Pascoe says she expects media coverage will change as awareness about disabilities increases in society.
Watch the video for Firstline’s interviews with the Paralympians