Staff writer Edward G. Robinson III talked by phone with Paralympics swimmer Tucker Dupree upon his return from the Short Course World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dupree, a Garner High School graduate, was one of seven members of the U.S. Paralympics Team at the event, held Dec. 2-5. The professional swimmer, who is blind, collected five medals, including a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly. He set a world record with a time of 58.29 seconds.
In 2007, Dupree was diagnosed with a rare disease called Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. Within six months, he lost about 65 percent of his vision. The disease, which affects about 9,000 people worldwide, attacks a person's central vision. Those afflicted with it are considered legally blind. There is no treatment and no cure.
The Paralympics Games ( www.paralympic.org) are elite sports events for persons with disabilities. More than 3,000 athletes from 136 countries participate in six disability groups in a variety of sports. Dupree, 20, was the only North Carolina athlete to compete in the 2008 Paralympics Games in Beijing. He trains locally with the Raleigh Swimming Association and is coached by Kit Raulerson.
Q: What's the significance of what you accomplished in Brazil? It was probably, not just memorable, but the biggest steppingstone in my career. After my first medal, I told myself that I wasn't expecting anything less, that I had to be on the podium for every event. And I walked away with one gold medal, two silver and two bronze. That was five events, and that was how many times I got in the water. I was medal hungry from Beijing, and I'm even more hungry now to get all gold. This is a huge, huge leap in my career.
Q: What did it feel like setting the world record in the 100-meter butterfly? I was seeded second. The guy that was seeded first actually won the 100 fly in Beijing. I remember walking out, and it was my first race of the event. I really didn't know, my adrenaline was going. I walked out and I swam. I remember at the last wall looking out and I was first, and I was 'like this is going to hurt but I want to be a gold medalist.' I didn't even know if I won. I got out of the pool. and I was met by one of my coaches. He said, 'Congratulations You did it. You're finally able to say you're a gold medalist.' There's a picture of us on Facebook - it says it all. He grabbed me and hugged me. It was awesome, from beginning to end. I won by eight-tenths of second, and that was enough for first for me.
Q: What does world-class status mean to you? Being able to say No. 1 in the world makes me become a world-class athlete just in No. 1 status. And being a world-class athlete is something everyone in this sport wants to achieve, and I'm No. 1 in the world and I have to live up to this reputation that I'm holding inside my head. And I want to have that reputation for the rest of my career.
Q: How did this event change your life? I love international swimming just because of the fact that around the world the Paralympics is blown out of proportion. They look at it as just as high as able-body swimming. So I love swimming internationally just for that. Everything was fun. The crowds were phenomenal.
Q: Where do you go from here? I walked away with being on the podium every time. Not too many people can say that. It's a huge turning point in my career. I think right now it's something that I can't do any less. I've got the Netherlands in the summer, so we just have to make sure that my training is bigger and better. It was a big point that I'm going to carry with me and go on and do even better now.
