Maisie Summers-Newton's bronze means ParalympicsGB surpasses Tokyo swimming medals

By Megan Armitage at La Defense Arena

Maisie Summers-Newton clinched bronze in the women's 400m freestyle to surpass ParalympicsGB's Tokyo 2020 medal haul in the pool.

Having successfully defended her titles from three years ago, Summers-Newton wrapped up her second Games in Paris with her third bit of silverware and a maiden Paralympic medal over the distance.

The 22-year-old went out fast in what was a straight final at La Defense Arena, with no morning heats, and engaged in a fierce battle with Switzerland's Nora Meister for the silver as China's Yuyan Jiang was clear of the field for gold.

But with her front-end speed fading, Summers-Newton did enough to hold onto bronze in a time of 5.23.36 and was thrilled to stand on that podium once more in Paris.

"Going into it I was just going in third so I was hoping to come away with a medal," said Summers-Newton, who is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – which has been vital on their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games. "To keep that position, I'm really pleased.

"Nora and I always have some good races. I thought I could pip her on that silver medal but she flew on that last 200m.

"I probably went out a little bit too fast on the first half.

"My coach told me to keep it calm and keep it steady, but I was really relaxed in the end and excited to go out there and have a good time.

"Ending the week is brilliant, especially after my two golds earlier on in the week."

Summers-Newton's bronze marked ParalympicsGB's 27th medal in the pool, surpassing the 26 they won at Tokyo.

Having been the poster-girl of the sport coming into Paris with two gold medals to defend from Tokyo, Summers-Newton is proud to share that success with the majority of her teammates after witnessing the sheer star power of debutants such as Poppy Maskill and Will Ellard.

"We're doing absolutely amazingly compared to Tokyo and the number of medals we have won," she said.

"Nearly everyone has a gold medal which is absolutely phenomenal.

"The progress we have made as a team, bringing in these new athletes has been spectacular, and I couldn't be prouder of how they have come out.

"The attitude they all have is brilliant to focus on the race at hand."

With her Paralympic Games now ended with two golds and a bronze, Summers-Newton reflected on her success and revealed that she's ready to put her feet up after two weeks of action and cheer on the rest of her team in a final night of racing.

"I think there's a mixture of emotions now it's coming to an end," she said.

"I'm so tired but to have had a Games like this has been so special. Having my family here is what's made it for me, having them come to a Paralympic Games is incredibly special.

"So, there's a mixture of sadness and joy because I can rest and recover now and enjoy supporting the rest of the team."

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