“In China they don't mind getting their cameras out, but I try to go with the flow. In countries where there is not so much disability visible on the streets, they want to know who you are and what you are doing.”

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.