Paris 2024 Paralympic Games | Para swimming - 13-year-old Iona Winnifrith wins silver in 100m breakstroke SB7 : "I'm really proud of myself"
At only 13, Great Britain’s Iona Winnifrith made her highly-anticipated Paralympic debut at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The young British swimmer made her debut for Great Britain at the 2024 European Championships, where she became a double European champion and set a new British and European record in the SB7 100m breaststroke on the opening day of competition. On Saturday, 31 August, she started her competition on the 200m individual medley SM7, finishing fourth with a new European record set.
A bit frustrated to miss the podium, her second race at these Paralympics will be the good one. In the 100m breaststroke SB7, this Thursday, she won silver just behind NPA's Mariia Pavlova, who beat the world record.
"I am really happy about the performance, it's pretty cool. As much as I wanted that gold, I knew I had to fight for it and that's what I did. I tried to catch the other girl as much as possible, try and fight her. Today it just wasn't enough," she told Olympics.com.
"I knew what I needed. I spoke with my coach (who said), 'Just try and keep up with the girls all the way through, try and power it through the last lengths.' And that's what I did, so really happy with that performance."
At the medal ceremony, Iona Winnifrith was just smiling and enjoying the time she was spending out there: "I'm really pleased, as much as I wanted the gold, I'm really proud of myself," she said.
Winnifrith’s hero is Great Britain's Para swimming sensation Ellie Simmonds, who made history at 13 years old at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, winning two golds in the 100m and 400m freestyle S6.
The Brit was hoping she could follow Simmonds' story and she did with this silver medal at these Paralympics.. "I met her a few times... she's very good talking to us", she said, talking about her idol.
Tomorrow, she will try to get a second medal, in the 50m butterfly S7, with an unforgettable moment already in mind... and maybe two in a few hours.