PICTURE STORIES: OUT OF THE DARKNESS AND INTO THE LIGHT: Anastasia-Pagonis004

United States Paralympian Anastasia Pagonis is tapped on the head by her coach Darryn Solotoff during a training session at Nassau County Aquatic Center on May 25, 2024 in East Meadow, New York. Pagonis has autoimmune retinopathy which led her sight to decrease at the age of 11, and she lost her vision by the age of 14. She competed in the swimming competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games where she won a gold and bronze medal respectively in the 400m Freestyle S11 and 200-meter Individual Medley S11. An S11 athlete is the most severe form of visual impairment. S11 swimmers all swim with blacked-out goggles to ensure a level playing field, blocking out all light so it's like swimming with a blindfold. This is why they typically swim on the lane line and have tappers to inform them when they need to turn or stop. She will be competing in the 400m Freestyle S11 at the 2024 Paralympic Games this summer in Paris, France.

United States Paralympian Anastasia Pagonis is tapped on the head by her coach Darryn Solotoff during a training session at Nassau County Aquatic Center on May 25, 2024 in East Meadow, New York. Pagonis has autoimmune retinopathy which led her sight to decrease at the age of 11, and she lost her vision by the age of 14. She competed in the swimming competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games where she won a gold and bronze medal respectively in the 400m Freestyle S11 and 200-meter Individual Medley S11. An S11 athlete is the most severe form of visual impairment. S11 swimmers all swim with blacked-out goggles to ensure a level playing field, blocking out all light so it's like swimming with a blindfold. This is why they typically swim on the lane line and have tappers to inform them when they need to turn or stop. She will be competing in the 400m Freestyle S11 at the 2024 Paralympic Games this summer in Paris, France.