Gia Pergolini

Started: She took up swimming at age five. Growing up she was also involved in lacrosse, football, and gymnastics, but she enjoyed swimming the most. "Ever since I was little, my mother noticed that I loved being in the water so she put me on a swim team." (Athlete, 06 Dec 2017; teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2017) Reason: "Once I started swimming for Para, I saw that there's other kids with the same disability as I. It opened my mind up more, and I started having a closer and closer relationship with Para swimming. My mum was very happy I found some people who I can relate and talk to. She tried her best, but she knew that my talking with these people would make me feel better. Her seeing me happy made her happy." (teamusa.org, 24 Feb 2021; Athlete, 06 Dec 2017) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (teamusa.com, 13 Feb 2024) Additional Info: BREAK FROM SPORT In 2023 she decided to take some time away from swimming, and did not compete at the 2023 World Championships in Manchester, England. She said she had been enjoying the sport less during her first year at Florida International University. "If I wanted to achieve my goals in Paris [at the 2024 Paralympic Games], I needed to take a step back and find my love for the sport again because I was just very overwhelmed. The people around me agreed that taking a break from swimming and Para world championships this year was going to benefit me the most rather than just pushing through it and crashing and burning next year [in 2024]. It really helped. I was mentally prepared to go back to college and swim on the swim team, and now I'm happier than ever. I love my team, I love the sport and I feel like I'm in a very good place mentally and physically." (usparaswimming.org, 04 Dec 2023) UNOFFICIAL RECORDS At the 2020 US Open meet in Huntsville, Alabama, when she was age 16, she swam world record times of 1:05.51 in the S13 100m backstroke and 2:25.16 in the 200m backstroke. However, the records were not officially ratified as the meet was not a World Para Swimming approved competition. "It gave me a lot of confidence, and it got me a lot more excited for Tokyo [the 2020 Paralympic Games]." (teamusa.org, 24 Feb 2021; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 16 Dec 2020; swimswam.com, 17 Nov 2020) FOUNDATION In 2015 her mother Alice founded the Through Gia's Eyes Foundation. The non-profit organisation raises money to help families with children who have vision impairments. (swimswam.com, 17 Nov 2020; Through Gia's Eyes Foundation Facebook page, 27 Feb 2020)