Poppy Maskill wins GB's first gold with world-record breaking time

Poppy Maskill won gold in the Women’s 100m Butterfly S14.

In her debut Paralympic Games, the 19-year-old finished with a new world record time of 1.03.00.

In doing so, the former Northwich Centurions and Winsford Swim Team competitor claimed ParalympicsGB’s first gold medal.

Andrew Matthews/PA Wire. (Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

Maskill arrived at the Paris games as a multiple world champion para swimmer in the S14 class for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

 After claiming a medal of each colour on her international debut at the Madeira 2022 world championships, Maskill continued to establish herself on the global stage with a medal in all five of her events at the Manchester 2023 world championships including gold in the Mixed S14 4x100m Freestyle Relay.

In Thursday (August 29) evening’s final she went up against two ParalympicsGB teammates in Louise Fiddes and the now former world record holder Olivia Newman-Baronius.

Maskill finished qualifying with the quickest time and wasted no time in taking the lead in the gold medal race.

Nearly a second ahead by the halfway point, the former Middlewich Rose Queen’s victory never really looked in doubt.

She touched the wall first with a time of 1.03.00, a third of a second quicker than the previous world record.

Hong Kong's Yui Lam Chan finished, with Valeriia Shabalina, who was the joint former world record holder, claiming the bronze medal.

Meanwhile in the men’s race, Great Britain’s Will Ellard narrowly lost out on Gold.

Having qualified fastest, Ellard impressed early on in the final, leading at the halfway mark.

However, Denmark’s Alexander Hillhouse was able to sneak in front, finishing with a time of 54.61.

Ellard’s 54.86 earnt him the silver medal, ahead of the world record holder from Brazil, Gabriel Bandeira – 55.08.