Ellie Challis was first inspired to get into swimming after watching a video about a dolphin, and now the Briton is a Paralympic champion after winning the gold medal in the women’s 50m backstroke S3 on Monday.
The 20-year-old stormed to victory in Paris’ La Defense Arena, clocking a time of 53.56sec on her way to her first Paralympics gold.
She came in 4.80sec ahead of neutral athlete Zoia Shchurova in the silver medal position, with Spaniard Marta Fernandez Infante completing the podium in bronze.
“Joy, relief, happiness, a bit of everything really,” said Challis after the race.
“Obviously, this is what we all dream of and this is the goal for everyone getting into elite sport.
“To accomplish that at 20, I couldn’t put it into words really.”
On her Paralympic debut in 2021 at the Covid-impacted Tokyo Games, Challis took silver in the same event.
Now three years on, the swimmer was roared to the gold by her family and coach, who were in the packed crowd.
“I’m just so thankful for my dad, my sisters and my coach for everything,” she said.
“They’ve helped me to get here. It’s an unbelievable day, an unbelievable moment and I can’t wait to share this all with them in the crowd.”
Challis has now added a Paralympic gold to the world championship titles she claimed last year in Manchester, England.
But she only really developed her love for swimming when, as a child, she came across a video about a dolphin named Winter, whose tail was amputated after she got caught in a crab trap.
“I had meningitis at 16 months old and I lost all four limbs so swimming didn’t just come easy,” said Challis.
“It took my dad a lot of work and a lot of taking me to swimming lessons and trying to teach me himself to get me swimming.
“Then we watched this film one day and I was like, ‘oh, this dolphin’s like me’.
“It’s a really cool story but you don’t believe it’s true. Then at the end it tells you it’s true and it’s just such an unbelievable moment.
“This animal is doing what I want to do.”
Challis shared that she has even gone to the aquarium where Winter lived and met her inspiration.
“I was really lucky to be able to go over there and to visit her and to have a connection with the aquarium,” she said.
“I still go back now even though she passed away.
“But with the film she still inspires me day in and day out.
“It’s made a huge difference in my swimming and really inspired me to learn to swim.”
