Double Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds became the first swimmer to break a world record at the official Olympic swimming venue last night, with her victory in the 200m individual medley.
The 17-year-old finished in a time of 3:08.14 on the sixth day of the British Gas Championships, beating her own previous best time by over half a second.
A tearful Simmonds said, “I can’t believe I’ve broken a world record.
“I haven’t had a great week but I’ve been working hard on the event. I was confident but it’s a big surprise.
“I have great people around me. My coach and family [in Swansea] are amazing. I wanted to enjoy it and getting gold is great, but a world record is something else.”
Fellow SM6 swimmer Natalie Jones came in second, with Rhiannon Henry, from the SM13 category, finishing in third in the multi-classification event.
Lizzie Flint, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
