Wollaston golden girl Maisie Summers-Newton 'so happy' to complete Paralympic swimming double-double medal success

Maisie Summers-Newton made it back-to-back 200m medley titles, after dominating the 100 metre breaststroke to successfully defend her crown.

The 22-year-old set a new Paralympic and European record of 1:31.30 in the process.

She said: “There was a lot less weight on me for this one. I feel like, in a sense, the medley was passed down to me from Ellie (Simmonds) so there’s a lot of weight on me for that event.

“Breaststroke is my strongest stroke and even though I was going in two seconds faster, I still had those self-doubts.

“Thinking back to when I was watching Ellie at London 2012, never ever did I think I’d come away with four gold medals from two Paralympic Games and to do it in front of my family, I’m so happy.”

Simmonds has offered Summers-Newton plenty of support throughout the Games as she continues her legacy in the S6 class.

She said: “Ellie will always have my heart. She’s an icon for me and she messaged me before the race saying, ‘you’ve got this, you can do it.’

“Just having that support from her, she went to four Paralympic Games, so she knows a lot more than me and it’s a comfort blanket in a sense.”

Elsewhere, Desborough’s Bruce Dee broke the British record to finish sixth in the 100m breaststroke.

He said: “I’m very happy, I couldn’t be more chuffed. I’ve just tried to enjoy the games. It’s been a new experience for me, and I hope I can use this to propel forwards.”