Sophie Pascoe celebrates with her gold medal. Photo / Getty
Sophie Pascoe celebrates with her gold medal. Photo / Getty
By Kris Shannon in Birmingham
If this turns out to be the last sight of Dame Sophie Pascoe at a major event, she left the pool in triumphantly familiar fashion.
The 19-time Paralympic medallist came to Birmingham, saw a schedule featuring a solitary event and suitably conquered the S9 100mfreestyle to claim Commonwealth Games gold today.
Her victory capped off a successful opening session for the New Zealand swim team, after Jesse Reynolds earlier claimed silver in the men's S9 100m backstroke final.
Pascoe has given no assurances one way or the other over her future, and at 29 she may well choose to race on with Paris looming in two years.
But given how gruelling she found the Tokyo Olympics - part of the reason for a pared down schedule in Birmingham - it would be no surprise if she stepped away from competitive sport.
"If this was my last one, then I gave it everything - and if it's not, then here comes Paris," an emotional Pascoe said moments after her win. "I'm super proud of myself for getting here and overcoming everything."
That adversity, rather than potential thoughts of retirement, was the chief trigger of Pascoe's post-race tears.
There was a bout of Covid when she had felt in "fine form" leading into the Games. And, much more painfully, Pascoe recently lost her grandmother, a figure who had played an integral role in her life in and out of the pool.
"I watched a video of her this morning just to hear her laugh and just remember what she'd say to me before a race," Pascoe said, struggling to find the words. "That was really hard today - knowing that I couldn't contact her between the heats and the finals, which is what I usually do. This one's for her."
And if it's the last one then Pascoe acknowledged a bittersweet symmetry to her career, having dedicated her first medal to her late grandfather.
The prize was also timed appropriately in another manner, given her fifth Commonwealth Games gold came moments after Reynolds had won his first major medal.
Sophie Pascoe competes at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Photo / Getty
Pascoe had sounded thrilled before the Games about her new "camp mum" role with the New Zealand team, guiding another group of both able-bodied and para-athletes.
It's easy to imagine her gliding gracefully from the water and into a support role in her sport, having nothing left to prove.
Her victory at Sandwell Aquatics Centre made it 14 years at the top of para-swimming, leading from start to finish to clock a time of 1:02.95, edging Australia's Emily Beecroft by 0.79s.
Pascoe said the last 10 metres, when it began to really hurt, was when she knew her nana was with her, and she caught herself when the topic of a fitting farewell was again raised.
"Look, I really shouldn't say that. The goal was to take every year as it comes and I'm going to reevaluate life after this. Whether I get back in the pool or whether I don't … I wouldn't say this is the end of me in the pool for sure."
Reynolds, meanwhile, should also have a few races left, but he admitted that before tonight he had been worried he would eventually be left without a major reward for his hard work.
"I've been doing this for a bloody long time," said the 25-year-old, who recorded a pair of fourth-place finished on the Gold Coast. "It's just a grind every day, and to finally bring something home to show for it is such a good feeling.
"Part of me was thinking I might walk away from my swimming career without ever taking a big international medal, so to know that I pulled it home is really cool."
Earlier in the evening session, 18-year-old Erika Fairweather was barely unable to break on to podium of the 200m freestyle, finishing fifth in a personal-best time of 1:57.08.
