Team USA Swimmer Says Paralympians Are Hooking Up in Village Too

Athletes at the 2024 Paris Paralympics are having no problem mixing business with pleasure, according to Team USA swimmer Anastasia Pagonis. 

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Pagonis — a visually-impaired swimmer who competed in the 400m and 4x100m events at this year’s Games — said her fellow Paralympians have been hooking up with each other left and right. 

“Oh my gosh, yes,” Pagonis said, who spoke to Us while promoting her partnership with Gillette Venus. “It’s the Love Island Village. That is definitely a very, very common thing just about everywhere.”

Pagonis, 20, noted that she is happily partnered with a boyfriend back home — “I’m keeping my safe distance,” she joked — but that doesn’t mean she isn’t enjoying watching everything unfold.

“I love the drama!” Pagonis exclaimed. “I live for the drama.”

Things are so juicy that Pagonis pitched a reality show about the Village’s after-dark escapades. 

“That’s the plan,” she said. “We have to figure out the TV brand that’s going to film it. We’re doing it. We’ll call it Love Island Village. It will be perfect.”

While some of her fellow Paralympians are busy shacking up on their down time, Pagonis — who  first began losing her vision at 12 years old due to genetic retina disease and autoimmune retinopathy — has been busy addressing misconceptions about what it means to be a person with a disability. 

“I think that people think I have to look a certain way, act a certain way, be a certain way,” Pagonis said. “They put me in this box that I have to fit into. And if I don’t fit into that box, I’m a faker and a liar and all these awful things.”

She continued, “I want to show the world that I can dress cute, I can do my own makeup and I can be a professional athlete.”

When it comes to looking the part, Pagnonis’ partnership with Gillette Venus razors has come in handy for a very specific reason.

“Before I race, I always have a little shaving party,” Pagonis revealed. “I have to make sure my whole body is super smooth so I can swim fast.”

Pagonis added, “I’m a hairy, Greek girl. I need the razor more than they need me, that’s for sure.”

The 2024 Paris Paralympics come to an end with the closing ceremony on Sunday, September 8.