He marvels at the Chinese backstroker who holds himself in position at the start with a towel clinched between his teeth, and by the swimmer from Norway who competes despite the loss of her left leg and arm. He's been at a meet with a quadriplegic swimmer.

But Dupree, 19, quickly learned that paralympic athletes are not there just to participate, but to win.

"At the start of the race, I don't know their story and they don't know mine," Dupree said. "But we both know we want to kick the other's butt."

Dupree is expected to have a chance to win when he competes in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, from Sept. 6-17.

Dupree's story is different from most other paralympic athletes.

He was a typical senior at Garner Magnet High in the spring of 2007 when a gray dot began to encroach on the middle of his vision.

He was diagnosed with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. There is no treatment, no cure. In a matter of weeks, the dot grew darker and larger.

In the past year, Dupree has lost 67 percent of the vision in his left eye and 82 percent in his right eye. His vision is 20-750, meaning he can see at 20 feet what most people can see at 750.

Swimming in the paralympics has helped him deal with his loss.

"Once you see what other people have dealt with, you think, 'I don't have many problems, I'm just blind,' " he said.

Dupree was a competitive swimmer before his vision problems. Among blind athletes, he has become one of the most successful American swimmers of all time.

He holds 18 U.S. and five Pan-Am Paralympic records, all set in the past year.

"He is an animal," said Elexis Gillette, an Athens Drive graduate and the U.S. record holder in the long and triple jump by a blind athlete.

Gillette, who trains full-time at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., will also compete in the Paralympic Games.

The Paralympics are Olympic- style games for 4,000 athletes representing 136 countries in 13 different disability groups. The Paralympics emphasize athlete achievements rather than disability.

That's one of the lessons that Dupree has learned over the past year.

"They [other competitors] don't know if I have been blind from birth or for a year or 10 years," Dupree said. "And they don't care. They want to win the race."

Gillette, an East Carolina graduate, was a silver medalist in the long jump in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

He won the U.S. paralympic trials in the long jump, triple jump (setting the U.S. record), 100 meters and 200 meters.

He has a leave of absence from his job at the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department and has moved to the training center because he wants to be the best in the world.

That goal was reinforced the first day.

"I arrived at the airport and figured I'd go check in, check the place out," Gillette said. "But no, I went from the airport to the gym for my first workout.

"It was great. I've never trained like this."

Gillette competes in the S11 class, which is for athletes with no vision. Gillette lost his vision to glaucoma when he was in the second grade. He can distinguish light and dark with his right eye.

Dupree is the S12 class, which is for athletes with 20/600 vision or worse.

"This will be the first time I've ever swum against just swimmers in my class," Dupree said. "There just aren't that many.

"Most of the top swimmers in my class are in other countries. Travelling is expensive and I guess they can't afford to come to the United States to compete."

Dupree is ranked fourth in the world in the 400-meter freestyle, fifth in the 50 and 100 freestyles and sixth in the 100 backstroke.

Gillette is looking forward to the Paralympics, but said he may be more excited for Dupree.

"I was 19 when I went to the games in Greece," Gillette said. "It was simply amazing. I am going to enjoy Tucker experiencing that."

Dupree said he can't imagine what it will be like. The swimming venue seats 18,000 and he's been told that every session is sold out.

"Eighteen-thousand people. Can you imagine? Watching me swim?" he said.

The Paralympics will be held at the same venues as the Beijing Olympics. Usually many of the Olympic athletes stay for the Paralympic Games.

"Paralympics are much bigger in some foreign countries," Dupree said. "When I was in Canada, one of the guys I was racing has a national television commercial for Visa."

Dupree has taken public speaking classes at Wake Tech and makes motivational speeches. All the proceeds from his speaking engagements go to a fund to help his parents travel to Beijing.

"Something I will never forget is seeing their faces when I received the Greater Raleigh Sports Council Courage of Character Award," he said. "I want them to see me swim in China."