ST PAUL, Minn. — Multiple displays of pride were visible across Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Friday afternoon – from signs in baggage claims to huge banners across the parking ramp.
That pride comes as one of Minnesota's own returns home after weeks away. Mallory Weggemann is back on American soil after time away in Paris, covering the Olympics and competing in the Paralympics.
"I think when we get home, it'll officially set in what we as a family have done since leaving Minnesota a month ago, and it's pretty special," Weggemann said just after touching down.
These Paralympics were different than others for multiple reasons.
"They're my sixth and seventh Paralympic medal," Weggemann said. "They are the heaviest by a landslide."
It's not just the medals that were different – so were the games themselves.
"To see sold-out stadiums and know that the Paralympic movement is growing," Weggemann said. "It's only getting bigger, gives me so much excitement for what it will be now for LA in 2028."
The differences don't stop there. Weggemann was also accompanied by her daughter, Charlotte – a piece of home halfway across the world.
"I also know that when I went back to the room that night to her, I'm mom all the same, and the outcome didn't matter," she said. "And I think that was such a special thing to share with her."
And while the signs at MSP may have said, "Minnesota Proud," Weggemann says she couldn't be prouder to represent her home state.
"I'm so, so proud to be a Minnesotan, and it's such an honor to be able to go to a games and represent Minnesota so proudly and have that moment," she said.
