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Aged just 13 at the time, Ellie Simmonds was the second youngest Paralympian in British history to win a medal of any colour when she competed at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
The fact that she went on to win two gold medals in her first Games and follows the simple philosophy "work hard and be yourself" won her the hearts of the British nation. Thanks to her success she also picked up the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year award in the same year.
In February 2009 she became the youngest person ever to be appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and later that year won six gold and a silver medal at the IPC Swimming World Championships Short Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Born with achondroplasia (dwarfism), Simmonds followed up her 2008 and 2009 successes with four gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
At the 2011 IPC Swimming European Championships in Berlin, Simmonds went head-to-head with her Dutch rival Miriam de Koning-Peper, and ended up winning two gold, one silver and bronze medal.
Going into London she was one of the ‘poster girls’ of the Games and thanks to one of her sponsors, a giant image of Simmonds appeared down the side on one of the building’s facing the Olympic Park.
Despite the immense pressure on her, she duly delivered in front of her home crowd claiming two gold, one silver and one bronze medal. She also broke two world records.
In the 2013 New Year's Honours list, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
Her success in the pool continued into 2013 with triple gold and one bronze at the 2013 IPC Swimnming World Championships in Montreal, Canada.
Prior to the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, Great Britain, Simmonds had not lost the 400m freestyle at a Worlds or Paralympic Games since 2008. That all changed thanks to Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Mereshko, who on her Championships debut beat Simmonds in a thrilling final and claimed a further two gold medals.
Simmonds could not return to the top at the 2016 IPC Swimming Europeans in Funchal, Portugal, claiming one silver and three bronzes.
But the Briton showed at Rio 2016 she is still a force to be reckoned with, breaking the world record in the 200m individual medley by swimming under three minutes for the first time (2:59.81) and winning her fifth Paralympic gold. She went on to seal a bronze in the 400m freestyle behind Mereshko and China's Lingling Song.
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Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Short stature
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
S6, SB6, SM6
Further personal information
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English
Higher education
Psychology - Loughborough University: England
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She began swimming at age five.
Why this sport?
Her parents took her swimming to give her confidence in the water. She was inspired to try and reach an elite level after watching the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. "When I was younger, I watched the Athens 2004 Paralympics, I was about eight or nine. And I watched a lady called Nyree Lewis, she was a [British] disability swimmer, and she got a gold medal. I remember as a kid asking, 'How old do you have to be to go to the Paralympics? How does she do that?' That was when I was really saying, 'Oh man, I really want to go to a Paralympics, I want to get a gold medal'."
Club / Team
Camden Swiss Cottage SC: London, ENG
Name of coach
Adam Taylor [club], GBR; Billy Pye [personal], GBR
Training Regime
She does nine training sessions a week, as well as gym work and yoga. "From Monday to Wednesday I train with [Team Speedo] in Camden [London, England]. Thursday, Friday, Saturday I'm at the [London] Aquatic Centre with Billy [Pye]. I get the best of both worlds."
International debut
Year
2006
Competing for
Great Britain
Tournament
World Championships
Location
Durban, RSA
General interest
Nicknames
Ellie (Facebook profile, 14 May 2020)
Hobbies
Baking, travelling, swimming in the sea, ocean conservation. (Twitter profile, 26 Mar 2020; palatinate.org.uk, 06 Mar 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. "The highlight of my career was London 2012. That was a Games that I will never, ever forget and it was definitely my highlight." (skysports.com, 25 Aug 2020)
Most influential person in career
Coach Billy Pye. (swimming.org, 23 Sep 2013)
Hero / Idol
US tennis player Serena Williams, British heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, British Para swimmer Nyree Kindred [nee Lewis]. (palatinate.org.uk, 06 Mar 2020)
Injuries
At age 12 she had an operation to insert four metal plates into her legs. The plates were used to straighten her limbs. (dailystar.co.uk, 05 Sep 2012)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs
"Leading up to a competition, I listen to music, watch things on TV, get into a good series, or a good book." (palatinate.org.uk, 06 Mar 2020)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Work hard and believe in yourself." (swimming.org, 23 Sep 2013)
Awards and honours
In January 2018 she received an honorary degree from Swansea University in Wales. (swimswam.com, 22 Jan 2018)
In November 2013 she received an honorary degree from the University of Bath in England. (itv.com, 07 Nov 2013)
In December 2012 she was appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [OBE]. This followed her appointment as Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] at age 14 in 2009, which made her the youngest person to have received the honour. (guardian.co.uk, 30 Dec 2012; walesonline.co.uk, 01 Jan 2009)
She won the 2008 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award. (paralympic.org, 01 May 2009)
In November 2013 she received an honorary degree from the University of Bath in England. (itv.com, 07 Nov 2013)
In December 2012 she was appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [OBE]. This followed her appointment as Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] at age 14 in 2009, which made her the youngest person to have received the honour. (guardian.co.uk, 30 Dec 2012; walesonline.co.uk, 01 Jan 2009)
She won the 2008 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award. (paralympic.org, 01 May 2009)
Milestones
At age 13 years and 311 days she was the youngest member of the Great Britain team at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and the second youngest British Paralympian in history [behind swimmer Joanne Round, who competed at the 1988 Games in Seoul at age 12]. Her two gold medals in Beijing made her Britain's youngest individual medallist at the time at the Paralympic Games. (telegraph.co.uk, 15 Sep 2008, 30 Apr 2008; SportsDeskOnline, 31 Mar 2020)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She hopes to work as a teacher after retiring from the sport. (bbc.co.uk, 27 Jun 2017; palatinate.org.uk, 06 Mar 2020)
Impairment
She was born with achondroplasia and is a person of short stature. (elliesimmonds.com, 30 Mar 2015)
Other information
FUTURE PLANS
She had intended to retire from competition in 2020 after the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but the postponement of the Games forced her to reconsider her plans. "My plan for this summer [2020] was to go to the Games and then retire after. Now I will continue towards next year [2021] and Tokyo. I'm unsure what my situation will be after Tokyo, but I think in the future I'd love to teach children abroad. Maybe I'll teach English internationally. That's what I'd like to do. Whenever I do retire in the future, I'll always like swimming and I'll always love it. For me it's a sport that's brought so much joy, it's brought me the best teammates in the world, and memories that I'll never ever forget." (bbc.co.uk, 28 Apr 2020; palatinate.org.uk, 06 Mar 2020; britishswimming.org, 22 May 2020)
FINDING NEW OBJECTIVES
After the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she says she struggled to maintain her passion for swimming and considered quitting the sport. She took some time off to travel through Asia, Australia and the United States of America, and then relocated to London, England, to rejoin former coach Billy Pye. "I just hated swimming and everything about it. I just didn't want to get back in the pool. I didn't have any objectives, I had achieved my dreams. I needed that time away to refocus and figure out what I wanted in life. It gave me perspective of what the sport is for me and helped me find my love for it again. Being back with Billy is such a laugh. We push each other to the limits but we know what makes us tick." (bbc.com, 30 Mar 2018; swimswam.com, 29 Nov 2019; inews.co.uk, 06 Sep 2019)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In January 2019 she was appointed as a non-executive director of the organising committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. "I intend to utilise all the experience and knowledge I've picked up over the course of the last decade and hopefully contribute to making Birmingham the best Commonwealth Games to date." In June 2020 she was part of the BBC's Celebrity Supply Teacher programme, and on her episode she taught children about the ocean and wildlife. She has been an ambassador for Sainsbury's Active Kids Holiday Clubs, which encourages children to be active and healthier during the school holidays. She has also served as a patron of Dwarf Sports Association UK, an ambassador for WaterAid, and a Girlguiding leader in Manchester, England. (insidethegames.biz, 22 Jan 2019; expressandstar.com, 22 Jan 2019; gov.uk, 21 Jan 2019; skysports.com, 25 Aug 2020; hellomagazine.com, 13 Nov 2020; Facebook page, 29 Jun 2020)
She had intended to retire from competition in 2020 after the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but the postponement of the Games forced her to reconsider her plans. "My plan for this summer [2020] was to go to the Games and then retire after. Now I will continue towards next year [2021] and Tokyo. I'm unsure what my situation will be after Tokyo, but I think in the future I'd love to teach children abroad. Maybe I'll teach English internationally. That's what I'd like to do. Whenever I do retire in the future, I'll always like swimming and I'll always love it. For me it's a sport that's brought so much joy, it's brought me the best teammates in the world, and memories that I'll never ever forget." (bbc.co.uk, 28 Apr 2020; palatinate.org.uk, 06 Mar 2020; britishswimming.org, 22 May 2020)
FINDING NEW OBJECTIVES
After the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she says she struggled to maintain her passion for swimming and considered quitting the sport. She took some time off to travel through Asia, Australia and the United States of America, and then relocated to London, England, to rejoin former coach Billy Pye. "I just hated swimming and everything about it. I just didn't want to get back in the pool. I didn't have any objectives, I had achieved my dreams. I needed that time away to refocus and figure out what I wanted in life. It gave me perspective of what the sport is for me and helped me find my love for it again. Being back with Billy is such a laugh. We push each other to the limits but we know what makes us tick." (bbc.com, 30 Mar 2018; swimswam.com, 29 Nov 2019; inews.co.uk, 06 Sep 2019)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In January 2019 she was appointed as a non-executive director of the organising committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. "I intend to utilise all the experience and knowledge I've picked up over the course of the last decade and hopefully contribute to making Birmingham the best Commonwealth Games to date." In June 2020 she was part of the BBC's Celebrity Supply Teacher programme, and on her episode she taught children about the ocean and wildlife. She has been an ambassador for Sainsbury's Active Kids Holiday Clubs, which encourages children to be active and healthier during the school holidays. She has also served as a patron of Dwarf Sports Association UK, an ambassador for WaterAid, and a Girlguiding leader in Manchester, England. (insidethegames.biz, 22 Jan 2019; expressandstar.com, 22 Jan 2019; gov.uk, 21 Jan 2019; skysports.com, 25 Aug 2020; hellomagazine.com, 13 Nov 2020; Facebook page, 29 Jun 2020)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S6 | Final Round | 8 | ||
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S6 | Heats | 8 | ||
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 7 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heats | 7 | ||
| Women's 100 m Backstroke S6 | Heats | 9999 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heats | 6 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 7 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 3 | 1 | ||
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's 4x100 m Freestyle 34pts | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
| Women's 4x100 m Freestyle 34pts | Final Round | 2 | ||
| Women's 4x100 m Medley 34pts | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
| Women's 4x100 m Medley 34pts | Final Round | 2 | ||
| Women's 4x50 m Medley 20pts | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
| Women's 4x50 m Medley 20pts | Final Round | 3 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 1 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 2 | 2 | ||
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S6 | Final Round | 8 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 1 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S6 | Heat 2 | 4 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2012-09-01 | 1 | |
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 2012-09-01 | 1 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Final Round | 2012-09-03 | 1 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-03 | 1 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 3 | 2012-09-04 | 2 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 2012-09-04 | 3 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 2012-09-08 | 2 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-08 | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-12 | 1 | |
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 2013-08-12 | 1 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-13 | 4 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 1 | 2013-08-13 | 2 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2013-08-14 | 4 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-14 | 3 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-15 | 1 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 2 | 2013-08-15 | 1 | |
| Women's 100 m Backstroke S6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-17 | 4 | |
| Women's 100 m Backstroke S6 | Heat 2 | 2013-08-17 | 4 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-18 | 1 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 2013-08-18 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final 1 | 2015-07-13 | 2 | |
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-13 | 1 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final 1 | 2015-07-14 | 3 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-14 | 3 | |
| Women's 4x100 m Freestyle 34pts | Final 1 | 2015-07-16 | 3 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-16 | 5 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final 1 | 2015-07-16 | 5 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 2 | 2015-07-17 | 1 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Final 1 | 2015-07-17 | 1 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-19 | 4 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final 1 | 2015-07-19 | 4 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 2016-09-10 | 6 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-10 | 2 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-12 | 1 | |
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM6 | Final Round | 2016-09-12 | 1 | |
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 1 | 2016-09-13 | 1 | |
| Women's 400 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 2016-09-13 | 3 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 1 | 2016-09-15 | 2 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final Round | 2016-09-15 | 4 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Final Round | 2016-09-17 | 5 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S6 | Heat 3 | 2016-09-17 | 2 |
