Iona Winnifrith ready for Paralympic debut at just 13-years-old

Iona Winnifrith is ready to walk in the footsteps of childhood hero Ellie Simmonds as she heads to a maiden Paralympic Games in Paris.

At just 13-years-old, Winnifrith is the youngest member of ParalympicsGB set to light up Paris 2024 and will dive into La Defense Arena for three events.

The Tonbridge teenager is the exact same age as para swimming star Ellie Simmonds was when she made her Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, winning double gold, but Winnifrith is not startled by the comparison.

Instead, she is ready to spark her own fireworks and showcase her talent after a winning European title in the SB7 100m breaststroke and SM7 200m medley on international debut earlier this year.

"I remember the Rio Games being a thing but not the sport," said Winnifrith, who was just one years old at London 2012.

"It was really Tokyo when I saw Paralympians and saw Maisie [Summers-Newton] and Ellie [Simmonds] swim.

"I've always looked up to Ellie with her being 13 when she went to her first Games, and she also has a similar disability to me. I'm hoping to get a gold."

Winnifrith will step out at La Defense Arena in front of a 17,000 strong crowd to make her Games debut, competing in the women's SM7 200m individual medley, SB7 100m breaststroke and S7 50m butterfly.

But the youngster won't be deterred by the enormity of it, noting that she is used to performing in front of crowds at her local theatre group after following in her older brother's path in the pool and on the stage.

And taking inspiration from fellow child prodigy and favourite theatre protagonist Matilda, based on Roald Dahl's novel, Winnifrith is ready to make a little magic herself in Paris.

"I have three older brothers who swam, and I watched them when I was younger," she said.

"So, I got in the pool when I was about five and found a love for it.

"One of my brothers works in production arts in the West End and when he joined a youth group, I also joined the junior group.

"I've taken a step back from it before Paris, but I followed in his footsteps, and I really like performing and done a lot of performances at school.

"I like watching the shows my brother works on because they're good. I really like Matilda and I've done a lot of research into different shows, especially ones on the West End.”

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