Blind swimmer reaches gold by self-orienting, both in the pool and life
At 17, Edgaras Matakas from Kaunas, Lithuania, became his nation’s first blind Paralympic swimmer just two years after completely losing his vision. When his eyes couldn’t guide him any longer, he found solace in the pool. To Edgaras, swimming became a feeling he couldn’t do without, and it powered him to freestyle his way to gold at the World Para-Swimming Championship.