Maisie Summers-Newton has once again made waves at the Paralympic Games, delivering remarkable performances in Paris. From being inspired by Ellie Simmonds to becoming a champion herself, the Northampton swimmer’s journey continues to inspire. Now balancing her athletic career with new challenges outside the pool, Maisie’s future promises even more exciting chapters.
Maisie Summers-Newton defends her Paralympic titles with dominant performances in Paris
Northampton swimming sensation Maisie Summers-Newton does it again. The 22-year-old successfully defended both of her gold medals from Tokyo with a pair of dominant performances in the pool, winning the Women’s 100m SB6 breaststroke with a time of 1:31.30 and the Women’s SM6 200m individual medley, she retained her gold with a time of 2:56.90.
In addition to her gold medal, this made her the fifth British champion out of the last six winners in this event. Maisie closed her Paris 2024 campaign with a bronze in the Women’s S6 400m freestyle.
She follows in the footsteps of her sporting hero, Ellie Simmonds, who broke the world record in the individual medley in 2012. After her win, Maisie reflected on watching that final 12 years earlier, saying:
“When I was watching Ellie in London 2012, never ever would I have thought I would come away with one Paralympic medal, let alone four. So to come away from my second Paralympic Games defending both of my titles, I’m just so pleased.”
Often described by Paralympic commentators as “the new Ellie Simmonds”, Maisie seems to be one of the few people who doubted she could retain both her medals. In our interview before the Games, she spoke of the difficulty of not taking on the expectation:
“Going in with two gold medals already, I’m a little bit more nervous trying to defend. Then at the same time, thinking to myself, you’ve already achieved these things, so just try and relax and enjoy the moment. As long as I try my best, that’s all I can do.”
Family support and a new experience make Maisie’s victory even sweeter
This ability to duplicate the success she found in Tokyo may be a blessing aside from her medal count. The Covid-19 restrictions during the Tokyo Games meant Maisie missed out on many of the trappings that come with being a debutant Paralympian.
“I think it will be kind of a first games, … So I think this whole experience will be new for me, which is really exciting.”
One of the aspects that makes these two golds even more special than the two in Tokyo is the support of the crowd, which seems to be the icing on the cake for what was already an amazing achievement, “We’ve got friends there and loads more GB flags.”
Chief among those supporters were her mother, two sisters, and swimming taxi grandad:
“My mum is my absolute rock; she has brought me and my siblings up as a single parent. My grandad has been my swimming taxi; he has come to every competition this year, which is incredible. As a unit, my family is really close, and I couldn’t be happier. Last time, they were all watching in my garden, so to do it in front of them, I’m so proud.”
It must have been all the more special to know all the people who had supported her through the aspects the crowd don’t see were there at the golden moment.
From poolside aspirations to teaching and beyond
She was just 10 years old when she saw Ellie Simmonds competing in 2012 and realised what she could “potentially achieve…I was so inspired.” With her eyes on success from an early age, the rest of the pieces came together over the last decade.
Her grandad already had a background in swimming. This, combined with an excellent coach in Andy Sharp, who has managed to get four athletes into these Games, and a personal passion that runs deeper than the sport itself:
“Swimming was like my escape from the bullying and the staring because I could just dive into that water and feel free. Once I’m in the water, it’s like my absolute safe space.”
Using swimming as an escape from difficult childhood experiences makes her next challenge out of the pool even more fitting. In November, Maisie graduated from the University of Northampton as a qualified teacher. She says she’s looking forward to using her experiences in the Paralympics to inspire her students.
She was quick to add, however, that she is not committed to teaching yet: “I’m not going into teaching straight away, I’m going to just see what the future holds”, leaving Paralympic swimming fans with hopes for a repeat performance in LA in four years.
You can find out more about Maisie Summers-Newton by following her on Instagram.
Check out our other interview with Paralympic swimmer Louise Fiddes.