A "relieved" Sophie Pascoe has reflected on her gold medal performance in Tokyo on Tuesday evening, saying she had set herself a small goal for the women's 100m freestyle S9 final after an "unfortunate" race earlier this week.
Pascoe won her 10th career Paralympics gold in Tokyo on Tuesday evening and 18th overall after getting a jump on the field in the opening 50m and holding on in the final leg.
The 28-year-old told 1 NEWS after the race she'd waited five years to get back to the top of the podium.
"I'm just so incredibly proud of this," Pascoe said.
"I just gave it everything. I had no idea where I was until I looked up at the board and to see a one next to my name, it's a massive relief but it's also really special."
Pascoe said heading into the final she was focused and full of confidence for the event but had set herself a small goal.
"I just wanted to have a good performance in terms of coming back at night and racing faster than I did in the morning," she said.
"Unfortunately I wasn't able to do that yesterday."
The Christchchurch-born para swimmer was referring to her bronze medal effort in the women's 100m backstroke S9 final on Monday evening which she initially told 1 NEWS at the time "wasn't good enough".
"But I pushed through it."
Pascoe said her latest medal ranks "up there" with her incredible career haul.
"Every one has its own special story and its own special feeling.
"You could tell me what medal that I have won in my career and I could tell exactly what I was feeling during and post race so this will definitely go in the storyboards."
Emotions then started to show for the exhausted Kiwi who said she was just "incredibly proud" to represent New Zealand and credited her support crew for the moment.
"That group of people that are in the crowd...my family, my partner and friends at home, everyone that knows what I've gone through in this last year, this is just as much for them as it is for me.
"Unfortunately, I can't break it up and share it."
Pascoe's latest result puts New Zealand 22nd on the medal table with three golds, three silvers and two bronzes.
Pascoe returns to the water Wednesday afternoon for one of her "favourite events" in the women's 200m medley SM9.
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