Loading Docs 2022 - Beneath the Surface

Do I feel like I'm on track? No. There's been a lot of ups and downs this year...mostly downs, so far . . . I definitely feel tonnes of pressure, I wake up at about 4.30 almost every morning. I one hundred percent believe most athletes have at one point thought about throwing in the towel.

– Champion paralympic swimmer Tupou Neifu opens up about her training

With our culture we usually just cover up or you know, wear T-shirts, and long pants and stuff. But you know, especially with swimming, I'm wearing togs so you can pretty much see everything.

– Tupou Neifu on cultural expectations and swimwear

People don't see the tears and the stress. There was a time that we thought...she's gonna give up. But I'm just grateful that she stuck through.

– Lose Neiufi on her daughter's struggles ahead of the Paralympics

It’s so hard to pull yourself away from looking at those comments. There were a few people saying ‘Is she even handicapped? She shouldn’t be allowed to race.' I managed to brush it off. But then I was getting direct messages accusing me of faking my disability, because I looked ‘normal’. They made me doubt myself and question ‘Did I deserve to win this gold medal?'

– Tupou Neifui on the cyberbullying she experienced after the 2021 Paralympics, The NZ Herald, 25 October 2022