Especially as it saw the Werri Beach talent create her own slice of history as the first-ever Indigenous gold medal-winning cyclist.

"It's an incredible accomplishment and one that means a lot to me," said Reid, who suffers from cerebral palsy and an intellectual impairment.

"Especially as it was pointed out to me recently that I now have the same amount of medals as my idol Cathy Freeman, who has one gold and one silver to her name.

"I was blown away by this information - to be in the same league as a person you have looked up to as a child is just amazing."

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As Reid alludes to, this was her second Paralympic medal, after securing silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

"The silver medal in Rio made me more determined to train hard for the gold medal because I felt so close but at the same time it was so far away," said Reid, who also competed at the London 2012 Paralympics as a swimmer.

"I really learnt a lot the from Rio Paralympics, because as an athlete it's not just about the hours you train, it's also about what you eat, how many hours you sleep and how you look after your body as well.

"Your training is only one piece of the jigsaw and all the pieces have to work in together to make the big picture, which all helped me in my journey to Tokyo."

As well as the gold medal, the South Coast rider made plenty of ever-lasting memories in the Japanese capital.

"The fact both the Olympics and Paralympics went ahead in itself is one big memory," she said.

"This time around was a different experience for us riders too as the velodrome was not in Tokyo, meaning we couldn't stay in the athletes' village until after we competed.

"Thankfully, after we finished our events, we could catch up with friends and other athletes in the village.

"As lovely as the Japanese people were, it was disappointing we couldn't do any sightseeing because of COVID-19."

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One of the other impacts of the global pandemic meant the 24-year-old had to undertake two weeks home quarantine upon arrival back in Australia.

"I was very lucky to have home quarantine and not confined to a hotel room like so many other athletes had to," she said.

"I was able to move around the house freely and also had my assistance dog with me.

"It was the first time in years mum actually was home for two weeks straight, which was actually really special.

"Mum stocked the cupboards and fridge with food and the first couple of days we spent watching movies together.

"I luckily had some friends drop off some equipment, allowing me to stay fit during quarantine - not to mention my assistance dog Odell received some parcels of his own, in the form of treats and tennis balls.

"It was tough but we all survived."

Reid has since returned to the track for training, with the help of the first-ever Paralympic remuneration program to match their Olympic counterparts.

"That was an important announcement made by Scott Morrison, as we train just as hard as the able-bodied and many of us even train alongside the able athletes," she said.

"It's a big step towards equality of all athletes."

With only three years to go until Paris, Reid is already focused on what she can achieve at her fourth Paralympics.

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"Whenever you put the green and gold for your country, it's an enormous honour and will always hold a special place in your heart no matter how many times you put the green and gold on for your country," she said.

"So the goal is definitely Paris but there is a long way to go before then.

"With so much being up in the air with COVID-19 at the moment and borders being closed, no one knows what is happening with our state and national titles.

"Hopefully things start to clear up in the near future, so I can map out a plan on making that para-cycling team for Paris."

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