Poppy Maskill bags Paralympics gold medal in S14 backstroke

However, the Middlewich admits her latest victory was tinged with a touch of disappointment about her time.

Trailing neutral athlete Valeriia Shabalina at the halfway mark, former Northwich Centurion and Winsford Swim Team member Poppy powered in front to claim the win in a time of 1:05.74.

“I was a little bit annoyed because it was not a personal best but it was still a gold so I can't be too annoyed," she said.

"I'm obviously happy with my medals as they are a great achievement but I'm slightly disappointed in my time because I know I can be better.”

“I've stacked the medals in my room at the moment but I want to put them on display in my living room so I can see them when I get home.

“It's really cool to have five medals and the most of any ParalympicsGB athlete so far here. I would have thought it would be Alice (Tai) or someone else. It feels great.”

Poppy Maskill stormed back to win gold having trailed at the halfway point of her race (Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)

Having already won two golds, in the Mixed 4x100m Relay S14 and the 100m butterfly S14, and two silvers - the 200m medley SM14 and 200m freestyle S14 - this latest win take's the 19-year-old's medal haul to five - more than any other British athlete competing in Paris.

Poppy's victory secured ParalympicsGB's 41st gold medal of the 2024 games, equalling the amount won by the team in Tokyo three years ago.

Rounding out the podium places in the bronze medal position was Great Britain teammate Olivia Newman-Baronius, with another ParalympicsGB swimmer Megan Neave in fourth.

Result:

1 (GBR) MASKILL, Poppy 1:05.74

2 (NPA) SHABALINA, Valeriia 1:06.68

3 (GBR) NEWMAN-BARONIUS, Olivia 1:08.74

4 (GBR) NEAVE, Megan 1:09.59

Middlewich mermaid Poppy has won hearts of the nation as a golden girl of the pool for ParalympicsGB over the past two weeks.

A former Northwich Centurions and Winsford Swim Team member, she has been in world record-breaking form in the Paris La Defense Arena.