They were the emotions that flooded Dunedin athlete Anna Grimaldi as she led the New Zealand team at the Paralympics opening ceremony yesterday morning.
Grimaldi, competing in her third Paralympics, proudly waved the flag alongside swimmer Cameron Leslie at the Place de la Concorde, in Paris.
"I was really emotional to be asked and to be doing it with Cam was really awesome," Grimaldi told the Otago Daily Times.
"We just wanted to have a lot of fun out there ... there was heaps of people cheering, there was a few Kiwi flags in the stands and down the Champs-Elysees before we got in.
"It was a really nice nod to my career so far and then sort of me as a person and how much I’ve grown, I think, over the last few years as well.
"To be seen as a leader, sort of, in the team is really special."
It was an electric atmosphere along the Champs-Elysees with the crowd at least three deep, and seeing the Kiwi flags in support was amazing, Grimaldi said.
There were a couple of people she noticed that made it even more special — her parents, Di and Tony.
"They were sitting with Cam’s parents ... when we spotted them in the crowd, it was a really special moment."
Growing up in Dunedin, a career in athletics was beyond her wildest dreams — let alone being her country’s flag bearer.
"It was just one of those things that I probably wanted to hope for, but I think felt a bit too scared to.
"I didn’t know there was going to be a career path for me in high performance sport. I had no idea that it would lead here.
"Growing up, we all watch the opening of the Olympics and go ‘who do you think [the flag bearer’s] going to be?’
"And for it to be me is just really amazing."
Not a bad way to spend your first Paralympic opening ceremony, after missing Rio due to competing the next day and Tokyo due to Covid disruptions.
