McClain Hermes: A gold para-swimmer who was born for success
DACULA, Ga. – When a person is born a great athlete, even disabilities cannot prevent them from achieving their goals; McClain Hermes is the perfect example.
Dacula seems to be the place of second chances, with good soccer teams, quality schools, and a girl who has overcome all the challenges life puts on her. McClain Hermes is a young athlete, daughter of Carmen and Matt Hermes, who, from a very young age, has suffered from Wagner syndrome that left her right eye blind while her left has very limited vision.
Despite McClain having a personal battle at such a young age, she never stopped dreaming and continued to practice her favorite sport since she was four years old–swimming. At first, the girl had a hard time.
“I started running into the wall more often, so my coach started researching adaptive swimming.” McClain said. “I think that if I was not introduced to the Paralympic world, I would not be swimming.”
McClain admits that swimming is her place of happiness because no one can see her there, and she can speak, sing or scream with no one noticing. For the girl, swimming is her life.
Therefore, every fiber of her body is dedicated to the sport, which helped her reach several milestones. Since 2017, McClain has made history. At only 15 years old, the girl participated in the Paralympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro; she was the youngest athlete who represented the US. That same year, McClain obtained first place in the Georgia Swimming Golden Peach, and she was named swimmer of the year.
The athlete belongs to the US National Paralympic team, with which she has won four medals by participating in the Parapan American Games in Lima 2019. At this time, McClain obtained Gold in the relay competition, Silver in the 400-meter of freestyle, and bronze in the 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke competitions.
McClain also participated in the World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico in 2017. In this competition, the girl entered the 400m freestyle, earning the gold medal. However, at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the girl only finished eighth in the 100m backstroke competition.
McClain holds her record of 21:43.09 in the NCAA 1650 for free in personal achievement. But she set a milestone in the Loyola League Challenge final season in the 100m competition with a swim time of 1:17.92.
Before the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games season began, McClain had ambitions to take home a medal, but she failed. The Georgia girl finished in sixth place against favorited para-swimmer Anatasia Pagonis, who took the gold. However, this will not cause McClarin to break in the pool because she will fight to compete and win in the 2024 Paralympic Games.
“A goal without a plan is just a goal,” McClain said in 2017 without knowing how far she would go in the sport.
Although she lost almost 100% of her sight, the girl is admirable because her view has not limited her participation. In the three most iconic Paralympic games of all time, McClain Hermes’ name continues to be touted in Paralympic sport as one of the greatest Georgia-born para-swimmers.
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