On day five at Paris La Defense Arena, Morgan Stickney (Cary, North Carolina) defended her Paris 2024 women's 400-meter freestyle S7 gold medal.
She won silver in the women's 400-meter freestyle S7 with teammate McKenzie Coan (Clarksville, Georgia), while Gia Pergolini (Atlanta, Georgia) won her second medal of Paris 2024.
On Monday, Stickney set two Paralympic records to win her gold medal. Two-time Paralympian set her first record of the day in the preliminary round with a time of 4:56.69 and then broke it in the women's 400m freestyle S7 final on Monday night, winning gold with 4:53.88.
It's weird to be a gold medalist again. I spent a third of last year in the hospital, so being here and doing what I did is weird, Stickney said.
Today was nerve-wracking, but I assured myself it was my favorite event. I just got up and had fun since I trained for this. Ultimately, that's what I wanted. Time wasn't the issue. Fun was the goal. My pride is immense.”
On Monday, five-time Paralympian Coan earned her seventh medal, silver in the women's 400m freestyle S7.
Stickney valued her support system in the spectators, especially after Tokyo when friends and family couldn't come.
"Last Paralympic Games I wasn't even in finals (in this event) – I was an alternate, so coming here and getting silver is really special and I'm very proud," Pergolini said.
“The 50 is always hit or miss for me and so close, so having the crowd here really helps me absorb it. The crowd inspired me for my race. I'm delighted it helped me win a silver medal."