On a night of three golds in the pool for ParalympicsGB Ellie Simmonds stole the show by becoming the first SM6 swimmer to race below three minutes in the 200m medley. After an F42 shot put gold for Aled Davies during the morning session of the athletics Simmonds followed Sascha Kindred’s lead by shattering the world record in the clammy Aquatics Centre. The 21-year-old – who has achondroplasia, or dwarfism – won her fifth Paralympic gold with a time of 2min 59.81sec.
“I’m so happy that I could finally go below three minutes,” she said. “I’ve been so close and I just wanted to be the first. It was a secret target that I set myself that I’ve not told anyone, not even my coach or family. I’m so chuffed. I was so nervous before that race, I thought I was going to be sick. I don’t know what to feel but I’m so, so happy.”
A memorable session for Britain ended with Susannah Rodgers claiming the team’s sixth swimming gold by winning the S7 50m butterfly.
Kindred, who won an appeal against his disqualification from his heat for a technical infringement, triumphed in the SM6 200m individual medley final. Appearing in his fourth and final Paralympic Games, he bowed out in style, a time of 2min 38.47sec securing a seventh gold medal for a 38-year-old whose cerebral palsy affects the right side of his body.
Simmonds, whose first Paralympic gold arrived at the ripe old age of 13 in Beijing eight years ago, was in the next race. She broke the world record in her heat. It would not last long.
A veteran swimmer by now, Simmonds will have more to celebrate if she wins the potential Ellie Clasico tonight. Ellie Robinson, who has the same condition as Simmonds, is the spunky 15-year-old who won S6 50m butterfly gold last week. She was inspired to take up swimming after watching Simmonds in London. They could meet in the 400m freestyle final.
After five days of competition British athletes have topped the podium 28 times and are second behind China in the standings.
There was an eighth athletics gold for ParalympicsGB when Davies built on his world and European titles with a throw of 15.97m. Davies, who won discus gold in London four years ago, broke the Paralympic record with a first attempt of 14.85m and his final effort was 16cm off his own world record. The 25-year-old has an impaired range of motion after being born with hemimelia of the right leg.
When David Weir returned to the Olympic Stadium on Monday, it cannot have been easy for him to focus on his T54 400m final given that it is two days since his partner Emily gave birth to their third child back in London. The emotion of missing Lenny Weir’s arrival into the world seemed to catch up with the wheelchair racer as his long run of success in the Paralympic Games ended with him finishing in a weary fifth place.
“I’m always seeing pictures and am in contact,” he said. “It would be better if I was there but I’ve got a job to do. But I’m looking forward to coming home and seeing the little man soon.”
Weir was confident after winning his heat on Sunday night but he started poorly and finished in 47.30sec. Kenny van Weeghel of the Netherlands won gold in 46.65sec.
This is Weir’s final Paralympics. The 37-year-old has won six golds overall and has four more events in Rio. He later finished second in his 1500m heat to qualify for Tuesday’s final.
- This article was amended on 13 September 2016. An earlier version, in contravention of our style guide, said that Ellie Simmonds “suffers” from achondroplasia, and that Ellie Robinson “suffered” from the same condition. This has been corrected.
