1
00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,800
Speaker 1: Right now, New Zealand's most decorated Paralympian, Dames Sophie Pasco

2
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,360
Speaker 1: is calling time on her career in the pool.

3
00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,200
Speaker 2: And it's going to be a brilliant gold medal for

4
00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,520
Speaker 2: New Zealand's fifteen year old golden j Pasco.

5
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,320
Speaker 1: It's going to hold on. She glides for that joke.

6
00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,479
Speaker 1: Sophie Pasco becomes a new Paralympic champion.

7
00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:21,800
Speaker 2: It's a race to the hall at Pasco does it

8
00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,000
Speaker 2: a second gold medal at four of it.

9
00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,640
Speaker 1: After winning her first gold medal in the Beijing Olympics

10
00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,960
Speaker 1: in two thousand and eight, she's claimed nineteen medals across

11
00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:34,559
Speaker 1: four Paralympics. Sophie Pasco, Hello, welcome to the show, and

12
00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,240
Speaker 1: congratulations on such a wonderful career.

13
00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:39,080
Speaker 2: Oh thank you so much.

14
00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:41,519
Speaker 1: You why are you stopping?

15
00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,440
Speaker 2: Well, you know, I'm it's it's the right time for me.

16
00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:53,800
Speaker 2: It's been probably a natural evolution to make this decision. I,

17
00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,200
Speaker 2: you know, definitely intended on going to the twenty three

18
00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:02,840
Speaker 2: World Championships and then the twenty four Paralympic Games. I

19
00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,880
Speaker 2: felt pregnant with my son and you know, became quite six,

20
00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,200
Speaker 2: so I couldn't attend the World Championships, and then with postpartum,

21
00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:15,240
Speaker 2: I made the decision not to go to Paris, and

22
00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:22,440
Speaker 2: I got a wonderful opportunity last year to share alongside

23
00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,680
Speaker 2: Scotty Stevenson the broadcast of the Paralympic Games with TVNS DEAD,

24
00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,840
Speaker 2: and I think that really helped my decision in making

25
00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,679
Speaker 2: what was the next venture for me. I felt really

26
00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:38,760
Speaker 2: content sitting behind that desk and sharing what great athletes

27
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,839
Speaker 2: we have and still enhancing the Parallem movement. I felt

28
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:43,959
Speaker 2: like I was still part of the team, but in

29
00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:51,520
Speaker 2: a different capacity, and it just really felt comfortable for

30
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,080
Speaker 2: me knowing that I was still there with my son

31
00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,720
Speaker 2: and my family and we were still a family unit.

32
00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,280
Speaker 2: So that definitely helped. And I definitely had some I'm

33
00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:06,040
Speaker 2: this break to really, you know, make the decision around

34
00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,040
Speaker 2: this next four year cycle, and it just felt right

35
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,200
Speaker 2: for me to hang the togs up and the goggles

36
00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,920
Speaker 2: and cap and go, you know what. I'm ready to

37
00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,080
Speaker 2: be full time and give one hundred percent to motherhood

38
00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:22,080
Speaker 2: right now, and my priorities have shifted, you know. Absolutely,

39
00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:27,000
Speaker 2: of course I could go to another Paralympic Games. However,

40
00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,639
Speaker 2: for me right now, that's just not where my heart

41
00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:31,960
Speaker 2: feels it needs to be.

42
00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,120
Speaker 1: Good on you your favorite Olympic Games? You know, your

43
00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,560
Speaker 1: first was Beijing two thousand and eight, you were just fifteen.

44
00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,200
Speaker 1: What was your favorite?

45
00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,000
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, they all hold their own favorite parts. But

46
00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,160
Speaker 2: I think the biggest reward that's come out of swimming

47
00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,200
Speaker 2: for me has been how a sport can change people's lives.

48
00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,440
Speaker 2: And you know, I was able to do that. And

49
00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,680
Speaker 2: at my first Paralympic Games, I came away with the

50
00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:01,120
Speaker 2: gold medal and a world record of the four medals

51
00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,560
Speaker 2: that I that I won over there. And when you're

52
00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,440
Speaker 2: sitting up on the podium and you are wearing that

53
00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,560
Speaker 2: silver fern and you hear the national anthem, it's just

54
00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,640
Speaker 2: a moment of pride and honor. And then I got

55
00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,920
Speaker 2: to share that moment with my family who were up

56
00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:20,640
Speaker 2: in the stands watching me. And you know, my father

57
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,840
Speaker 2: was there the day of the accident, and you know

58
00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,160
Speaker 2: there was an image that was created and instilled in

59
00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,040
Speaker 2: his head and of a young disabled girl, and in

60
00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,120
Speaker 2: that moment when national anthem was playing, I got to

61
00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,480
Speaker 2: change that into a world champion. And it's you know,

62
00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:39,200
Speaker 2: the power of sport. The fact that I've been able

63
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,520
Speaker 2: to change that image and continue to do that for

64
00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,080
Speaker 2: others out there has just been one of the proudest

65
00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:46,320
Speaker 2: moments of my career.

66
00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,280
Speaker 1: You mentioned the accident. Given how much you have achieved

67
00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,320
Speaker 1: in sport, how do you feel about that accident?

68
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,120
Speaker 2: Now, look my accident, it's certainly the way that I

69
00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,360
Speaker 2: personally see that it was the best thing that ever

70
00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,120
Speaker 2: happened to me. It's opened up a huge doors, a

71
00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,840
Speaker 2: lot of doors of opportunity. You know, it's made me

72
00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,000
Speaker 2: into the person that I am today, to be able

73
00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:17,840
Speaker 2: to inspire and enhance parallel movement, to make people realize

74
00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:22,560
Speaker 2: that your disability doesn't define who you are. And yeah,

75
00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,960
Speaker 2: I walk proud that I, you know, am different to

76
00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,719
Speaker 2: the majority out there, but everybody is different and we

77
00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,680
Speaker 2: all have a place and all have a voice. And

78
00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,360
Speaker 2: the fact that I get to change people's lives through

79
00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:43,680
Speaker 2: a passion that I had for over twenty years and

80
00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,760
Speaker 2: you know, share that alongside other people who are passionate

81
00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,040
Speaker 2: about changing people's perceptions of one that lives with a

82
00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,320
Speaker 2: disability is Yeah, it's it's very humbling and very rewarding

83
00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,720
Speaker 2: that I get to be apart a part of that group.

84
00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:03,640
Speaker 1: Sophie, congratulations on all your success and good luck with

85
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,120
Speaker 1: being a mother. I know that you're enjoying it so far,

86
00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:08,280
Speaker 1: but having more time with your wei boys is a

87
00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,760
Speaker 1: wonderful thing, so good on you. It is seventeen minutes

88
00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,040
Speaker 1: away from six on News Talks. He'll be very quickly.

89
00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,440
Speaker 1: Just so you know. Eleven gold medals at the Paralympics,

90
00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,360
Speaker 1: seven silver, won bronze, five gold medals at their comm Games.

91
00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,680
Speaker 1: New Zealand's most decorated Paralympion. That was Dame Sophie Pasco.

92
00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,680
Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen live to

93
00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,839
Speaker 1: News Talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow

94
00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:33,640
Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio