Maskill takes medal tally to five with brilliant third gold

Poppy Maskill became the first ParalympicsGB athlete to win five medals at Paris 2024 with gold in the women’s 100m backstroke.

The 19-year-old touched the wall in a time of 1:05.74 for her third gold of the Games, having also won the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 100m butterfly in a world record time.

However, gold medal aside, Maskill believes that she was still capable of more in the final, over a second off her personal best of 1:04.65.

“I was a little bit annoyed because it was not a personal best but it was still a gold so I can’t be too annoyed,” she said.

“I’m obviously happy with my medals as they are a great achievement but I’m slightly disappointed in my time because I know I can be better.”

The teenager already has a plan of action as to where to display her ever-expanding collection of medals when she gets home.

“I’ve stacked the medals in my room at the moment but I want to put them on display in my living room so I can see them when I get home,” she said.

Teammate Olivia Newman-Baronius won her maiden individual Paralympic medal by taking bronze in the same race in a time of 1:08.74.

“It was probably one of the best races I’ve had since I’ve been here,” said the 17-year-old.

“I’ve had a few ‘off’ races as there has been quite a bit of stress, getting used to these crowds is quite a lot. But I’m really happy with that, it went how my coach told me to swim it.”

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

Her bronze marked ParalympicsGB’s 27th medal in the pool, surpassing the 26 they won at Tokyo.

The 22-year-old 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 and did enough to hold on to bronze in a time of 5.23.36.

“Going into it I was just going in third so I was hoping to come away with a medal,” she said. “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.

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

Mark Tompsett clinched his first Paralympic medal on debut in the men’s 100m backstroke.

The 17-year-old has had to watch his teammates excelling all week but ensured he stayed ready for his moment, which he seized in a time of 59.21 - just short of the new British record of 59.19 that he set in the heats.

“It’s amazing, I don’t know how to explain it,” he said. “It means everything.

“The first week was about watching the team race so getting here myself is amazing.

“It has been a good day, beating my PB this morning, which I haven’t beaten for a while, then nearly matching it this evening.”