Clegg grabs 'once in a lifetime' gold as Paralympic dream comes true

Stephen Clegg powers towards gold in the S12 100m Butterfly

Moments of this magnitude are rare. Many never realise their dream. Stephen Clegg did, spectacularly in Paris.

"The thing I came for has finally come true," he told BBC Scotland. "It's amazing.

"I don't think I've really processed that I have done it," he said after becoming a double Paralympic gold winner on a glorious night for the Scot.

Clegg already had one gold in the S12 100m backstroke. This was his big one, though - the S12 butterfly final. The one he really wanted. The one he had pursued for so long. The one he was pressuring himself to deliver.

He got it, rampaging past challengers from the turn to drive to his destiny, engulfed by an incredible Paris La Defense Arena din.

"I still felt an immense amount of stress and pressure to deliver," he said, citing the notion that having one gold in the bag really didn't do much to help his cause.

"It's been a once in a lifetime experience and I'll never get it again. I've loved every second of this.

"It's been challenging at times, especially when you've had success earlier in the week. You want to celebrate and shout - shout to the rooftop - but you need to keep all that emotion pretty calm.

"Overall, it's been very special. I've loved the Games. The crowd at La Defense Arena speaks for itself. It's like nothing I've ever seen before and I don't think I ever will experience again."

He may be right. Noise levels were off the charts as Clegg barn-stormed to this victory.

He used that crowd to his advantage. Up against the 17-year-old Frenchman, Kylian Portal, who was given a deafening welcome seconds before the Scot emerged.

Rather than shrink, the 28 year-old simply lapped it up, waving his arms as though the cheers were for him. They weren't. He knew that but he didn’t care.

It was an incredible atmosphere and setting for this biggest of moments.

The fine margin of winning and losing in this sport painfully played out as Portal walked past Clegg in the interview area, inconsolable and weeping, as he missed a bronze by just 0:04 of a second.

As the enormity of it all began seeping in, Clegg, somehow, had the presence of mind to put all of this into some meaningful context.

His sister, Libby, is a Paralympic great, someone he holds in the highest regard. Someone he wants to emulate, but not just with medals.

"I look at my sister in very high esteem, not because of what she's achieved in medal tally," he explained. "She’s still leaps and bounds ahead me.

"She’s inspired a lot of people and I think greatness isn't just about what you do in your competition venues, it's about how you impact others.

"If I want to get to that level and consider myself to have a legacy or success on a real meaningful level in sport, that's what I need to look at for the future. Golds will come and go.

"The impact you can have on future generations is what really stands for itself and the impact you can have on sport.

"I think that's what great greatness in sport is really about. It's not just about medals. That's what I want to try and explore and see if I can match that in any way and any level."

He'll do well to match this achievement and experience. The most memorable of gold medals for Stephen Clegg as these Paralympic Games edge towards their conclusion.