When Tupou Neiufi hit the wall first in the S8 women's 100m backstroke final, the world saw a Paralympic swimmer realise she’s now a Paralympic champion.
"I had no idea what was going on, I was so confused and then I heard all my teammates cheering so I thought I better look up and I was so shocked," she told 1 NEWS.
"It still feels surreal too in this moment so really happy with it.
"I was just absolutely shocked and then I saw the cameras and was like, 'don't cry, don't cry, don't cry'."
But it's hard to hold back emotion when you've just won New Zealand's first gold at the Tokyo Games - a milestone achieved with a simple mindset.
"It was pretty much go fast or go home."
And go fast she did. Neiufi missed out on medals at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 and at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. But Neuifi wouldn't let this one slip away, absolutely dominating the field.
In fact, she was so caught up in powering to the finish, she said her form went out the window.
"I was trying to stay on the left hand side of the rope and I ended up touching the right hand side and I was like, 'oh my god, where did the technique go?'"
Since making her Paralympics debut in 2016, Neuifi has thrown everything into the sport, making her latest achievement that much sweeter.
"It's been one hell of a ride.".
TVNZ's Paralympics reporter Michelle Prendiville asked if she ever thought gold could be a possibility.
"Honestly no, I just came here to sprint fast and to get that result was just overwhelming."
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