“I spoke to my parents and my agent a year before Rio. I was like: 'I don't want to do this. I want to get away.' They said: 'Just grit your teeth for a year. Then you can have your break. And if you want to retire, you can retire then.' I was in tears. I just hated it.”

British retired Paralympic swimmer

Ellie Simmonds is a British retired Paralympic swimmer, born in 1994. She competed in S6 events and came to national attention at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. At those Games, she was the youngest member of the Great Britain team, at 13, and won two gold medals. Her profile is closely tied to that early success and to her career as a Paralympian swimmer.