La Defense Arena is ready - and so is Britain's Paralympic swimming team, as they prepare to dive into action soon after the Opening Ceremony officially fires the starting gun on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Wednesday’s Opening Ceremony precedes the start of a 10-day para-swimming programme at the La Defense Arena, with ParalympicsGB represented by a 27-strong team of athletes in the pool across 49 medal events.
With capacity crowds expected across each of the heats and final sessions, Toni Shaw will be the first to experience the atmosphere of the competition arena as she walks out for the Women's S9 400m Freestyle heats on Thursday morning (29th August) – while William Ellard, Cameron Vearncombe, Olivia Newman-Baronius and Poppy Maskill are the first four of 16 British debutants to mark their maiden Paralympic appearance as they dive in for respective Men’s and Women’s S14 100m Butterfly events on day one alongside Tokyo 2020 breaststroke medallist Louise Fiddes.
Of the two athletes on the travelling British team with a Paralympic crown to defend, Tully Kearney will aim to chase down a second successive gold in the Women’s S5 100m Freestyle on Friday 30th August – the event coming just 24 hours after she’ll attempt to upgrade a Tokyo 2020 silver in the 200m event on the opening day.
Meanwhile, Maisie Summers-Newton also has the first of her titles to defend on the second day of action, beginning her programme with the Women’s SM6 200m Individual Medley in which she lowered her own world record at the Berlin World Series in June, before returning to the competition pool on Sunday 1st September as she bids to complete a potential repeat of the double-gold success achieved three years ago.
Summers-Newton celebrating her Medley win in Tokyo
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to go out there and win gold, but then at the same time you’ve got to be kind to yourself and just enjoy the moment,” said Summers-Newton.
“I got a PB in the 200m IM [earlier in the season] and my 100m Breaststroke I’ve been right on that too, so it shows that the training has been going really well. As long as I’m trying my best that’s all I can do really and then the outcome I want comes out. My goal is to come away with medals and hopefully gold.”
At 13 years old, Iona Winnifrith is the youngest member of the entire ParalympicsGB athlete delegation, and the European champion makes her Paralympic bow in the Women’s SM7 200m Individual medley on Saturday 31st August.
In contrast, Rebecca Redfern and Stephen Clegg lead the British cohort on Games experience with the pair attending their third successive Paralympics. Redfern has back-to-back silver medals in the Women’s SB13 100m Breaststroke from Rio and Tokyo, and enters these Games as the reigning world champion, while Clegg - a three-time medallist in Tokyo - will aim to bring the British charge in the pool home on a high as he closes his schedule in the Men’s S12 100m Butterfly – the final British medal opportunity in the Paris 2024 pool on Saturday 7th September.
“I have more love for swimming now than I have had at any point in my career, which is a nice place to be at 28,” said Clegg.
“There is still pressure but I don’t have that overwhelming anxiety and stress that I had going to Tokyo, and the unfinished business is more of a driver for me.
Stephen Clegg training at the ParalympicsGB holding camp
“Everything is in a good place. Training has been good all season and my body and head are in a good place. I want to hopefully go and deliver some special performances.”
From start to finish it is set to be a brilliant, breathless 10 days of aquatics action. To follow every result, update and highlight from Paris, make sure to follow us across social media @aquatics_gb - on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
You will also be able to access all the key results, event info and more across the Aquatics GB website.
How to watch live:
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is set to be the biggest ever broadcast on Channel 4 with over 1,300 hours of live sport airing for free across Channel 4, More4, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport’s YouTube.
Paris 2024 Great Britain Para-Swimming team:
Ellie Challis, Manchester Performance Centre (S3/SB2/SM3)
Stephen Clegg, University of Edinburgh (S12/SB12/SM12)
Rhys Darbey, Nofio Clwyd (S14/SB14/SM14)
Bruce Dee, Northampton SC (S6/SB6/SM6)
William Ellard, St Felix Swimming Club (S14/SB14/SM14)
Louise Fiddes, Hatfield SC (S14/SB14/SM14)
Grace Harvey, Manchester Performance Centre (S6/SB5/SM6)
Suzanna Hext, Tigersharks A.S.C. (S5/SB4/SM5)
Eliza Humphrey, Northampton SC (S11/SB11/SM11)
Scarlett Humphrey, Northampton SC (S11/SB11/SM11)
Tully Kearney, Loughborough University (S5)
Louis Lawlor, City of Glasgow ST (S14/SB14/SM14)
Poppy Maskill, Manchester Performance Centre (S14/SB14/SM14)
Olivia Newman-Baronius, Maxwell Swim Club (S14/SB14/SM14)
Megan Neave, Repton Swimming (S14/SB14/SM14)
Rebecca Redfern, Worcester SC (S13/SB13/SM13)
Matthew Redfern, Worcester SC (S13/SB13/SM13)
Faye Rogers, University of Aberdeen Performance (S10/SB10/SM10)
Toni Shaw, University of Aberdeen Performance (S9/SB9/SM9)
Harry Stewart, Plymouth Leander SC (S14/SB14/SM14)
Maisie Summers-Newton, Northampton SC (S6/SB6/SM6)
Alice Tai, Ealing SC (S8/SB8/SM8)
Mark Tompsett, Bolton Metro SS (S14/SB14/SM14)
Cameron Vearncombe, Manchester Performance Centre (S14/SB14/SM14)
Callie-Ann Warrington, RTW Monson SC (S10/SB10/SM10)
Brock Whiston, Barking and Dagenham/London Disability SC (S8/SB8/SM8)
Iona Winnifrith, Tonbridge SC (S7/SB7/SM7)
