Paralympics medal star Maisie Summers-Newton ready to 'rest and recover'

Northampton Swimming Club star Summers-Newton, who hails from Wollaston, had already grabbed double gold success as she defended her 200m medley and 100 metre breaststroke titles in style.

She added a third gong to her collection with her third place finish in the 400m freestyle, her first Paralympic medal over the distance.

The 22-year-old went out fast in what was a straight final at La Defense Arena, with no morning heats, and 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.

But with her front-end speed fading, Summers-Newton did enough to hold onto bronze in a time of 5.23.36 and was thrilled to stand on that podium once more in Paris.

"Going into it I was just going in third so I was hoping to come away with a medal," said Summers-Newton. "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. I probably went out a little bit too fast on the first half.

"My coach told me to keep it calm and keep it steady, but I was really relaxed in the end and excited to go out there and have a good time.

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

And looking back on the Games as a whole, Summers-Newton said: "I think there's a mixture of emotions now it's at an end.

"I'm so tired but to have had a Games like this has been so special. Having my family here is what's made it for me, having them come to a Paralympic Games is incredibly special.

"So, there's a mixture of sadness and joy because I can rest and recover now."

An extra bonus for Summers-Newton was that her bronze medal took TeamGB's beyond their medal haul at Tokyo 2020.

Her third place secured ParalympicsGB's 27th medal in the pool, surpassing the 26 they won in Japan.

"We're doing absolutely amazingly compared to Tokyo and the number of medals we have won," she said. "Nearly everyone has a gold medal which is absolutely phenomenal.

"The progress we have made as a team, bringing in these new athletes has been spectacular, and I couldn't be prouder of how they have come out.

"The attitude they all have is brilliant to focus on the race at hand."

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