Gia Pergolini earned Team USA’s first gold medal of the Paralympic Games in the women’s 100m backstroke S13 with a time of 1:04.93.
The 20-year-old from Atlanta won this event in 2021 at age 17, and while she was just shy of her world and Paralympic records (1:04.93 to 1:04.64), she claimed a convincing 2.34-second win.