Rachael Watson’s interview has Australia in tears

Australian swimmer Rachael Watson has delivered an incredible interview at the Paralympics that left everyone tearing up.

Australian swimmer Rachael Watson has delivered an interview for the ages after becoming a dual gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Watson delivered an incredible swim to defend her title in the women’s freestyle S4, having won the gold in Rio five years ago.

After her race, Watson battled back the tears as she tried to put into words her incredible achievement.

“I didn’t even believe it was possible,” Watson said.

“To come back after a pandemic and to do that, I can’t even find the words right now.

“I didn’t even know I won when I touched the wall, I didn’t even think it was going to happen.

With the pandemic, Watson’s family and friends were sadly unable to attend the Games.

However, she knew they were with her as she swam to another gold medal.

Rachael Watson took home the gold in the women’s freestyle S4. Picture: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Watson had a heartfelt message to her loved ones, and believed they were as big a part of her success as Watson herself, if not more.

“I just love them,” Watson said.

“They’ve just done everything for me, and every part of this moment is not just about me.

This gold medal is about them, it’s about every single person that's played a part, every single person gets a piece of that medal.

“I only get part of it, everybody else gets the rest of it because really it’s really their medal as well.

If we didn’t already have tears welling up in our eyes by then, Watson sent Australia into an emotional wreck when she was asked if she had anything to say to aspiring Paralympians.

“Just never give up,” Watson said.

“You’re gonna have a lot of people that just tell you you can’t do it because you’ve got a disability.

Watson defender her title she claimed at the Rio Paralympics. Picture: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

“They’re gonna tell you that it’s too hard.

“They’re gonna tell you to just stop believing and try something else.

“But honestly, if you put your heart into it and you just try and try and try, you can achieve whatever you want in your life.”

Watson’s message warmed hearts across the nation, with ABC sports reporter Georgie Tunny tweeting: “Stop everything. Seriously. Stop and watch”.

7 News Melbourne reporter Cassie Zervos wrote: “What a beautiful moment, with such an important message”.

ABC presenter Christine Layton tweeted: “This is an awesome interview. What a legend.”

Watson’s gold medal added to Australia’s tally of 17 first-place finishes across the various events, with hopefully many more to come before the Paralympics wrap up on Sunday.