Paralympic swimmer Tupou Neiufi's gold medal sits right where dreams are made on her pillow.
The 20-year-old from Pukekohe won NZ's first gold of the games in the hundred metres backstroke, finishing with a chunky lead.
Tupou Neiufi has paralysis down the left side of her body and a traumatic brain injury following an accident as an infant.
The win is a major step up from her first Olympics in Rio where the reserve swimmer was called off the bench at the last minute. And she says it makes it all worthwhile.