TWO years ago, swimming star Poppy Maskill said ‘it would mean a lot’ to compete at the Paralympic Games.

That is to become reality this summer, with the 19-year-old world champion having been named in the ParalympicsGB swim team for Paris.

It is the stuff of dreams for the Middlewich teenager, a former Northwich Centurions and Winsford Swim Team competitor.

Para-swimming prodigy Poppy is a multiple world champion para swimmer in the S14 class for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

She will be part of an exciting squad heading out to France, one of 15 Games debutants alongside 11 returning Paralympians.

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe said: “Our 26 swimmers represent an exciting mix of youth and experience, and there’s no doubt they all have fantastic potential to make Great Britain proud in Paris this summer.”

Aquatics GB Associate Performance Director Tim Jones added: “Our athlete cohort has evolved significantly since the Tokyo Games, and with 15 first-time Paralympians on the team, we know we have great potential to be very successful in Paris.

“We travel to the Games with a high-quality group of well-supported swimmers from a diverse range of training locations, which is testament to the hard work and commitment from a large number of clubs and their coaches.”

Although Poppy, who was Middlewich Rose Queen 10 years ago, goes to the Paralympics in August as a first-timer, she is no stranger to major events thanks to the work she puts in at Manchester Performance Centre.

She is 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, Poppy 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.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she represented Team England in the S14 200m freestyle placing fourth, while she was later that year awarded Emerging Para-Swimmer of the Year at the Aquatics GB Awards.

Away from swimming, Poppy is a lover of dogs and is fondly known among her teammates for having an incredibly large collection of Crocs.

A total of around 230 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Paris, with further names to be announced by ParalympicsGB in the next few weeks.

At Tokyo 2020 ParalympicsGB won medals across a record breaking 18 different sports - the highest number of any nation ever.

ParalympicsGB finished second on the medal table with 124 medals overall, including 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze.