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USA Paralympics star Anastasia Pagonis is viral TikTok influencer

Anastasia Pagonis is a three-time World Champion and two-time Paralympics medalist, but the 20-year-old USA swimming star is also a TikTok influencer with her bubbly personality.

Josh Sanchez

Paris, FRANCE; the Olympic rings and Paralympic logo are on display outside of the Hotel de Ville ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Paris, FRANCE; the Olympic rings and Paralympic logo are on display outside of the Hotel de Ville ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. / Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Paralympics are underway in Paris and a number of athletes are establishing themselves as stars. For USA swimmer Anastasia Pagonis, she gets to shine in the pool after becoming a viral sensation outside of it.

Pagonis is a three-time World Champion and two-time Paralympic medalist, winning a gold and bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Now, she has her eyes set on adding more hardware to her trophy case.

The 20-year-old Long Island native is a social media star, amassing a following of more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok and nearly 430,000 followers on Instagram.

Anastasia was diagnosed with autoimmune retinopathy which caused her vision to rapidly deteriorate at age 11 and she lost her vision at age 14. She has a guide dog named Radar who is always by her side, and she credits her dog for helping her through depression after losing her vision.

On TikTok, she raises awareness and changes the perception of those with vision loss, while also sharing beauty and fitness tips.

For her events, Anastasia must wear blackout goggles to keep anyone from having a competitive edge, and she makes sure to represent New York along the way.

Anastasia will compete in the Women's 400m final on Friday, August 30, before competing in the Women's 50m on Saturday, August 31; Women's 200M relay on Tuesday, September 3; and Women's 100m on Saturday, September 7.

The Paralympics will run through Sunday, September 8.

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Josh Sanchez

JOSH SANCHEZ

Managing Editor: Cowboys on SI - Contributor: The Athlete Lifestyle on SI, and Sporting News MMA - Contact: joshsanchez@gmail.com

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