Ellie Simmonds – My greatest sporting moment

An interview series looking back at favourite memories from sports stars around the world

It’s hard to believe that almost eight years have passed since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Conversations across the country were dominated by talk of the latest British medallist as Team GB amassed a remarkable 63 gold medals to secure third place in both medal tables.

Two of those golds were won by 17-year-old swimmer Ellie Simmonds OBE, who took the pool by storm once again to add to her brace of successes at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

With five Paralympic gold medals – and no fewer than 17 World Para Swimming Championships medals – I wondered if choosing the pick of those victories would be a difficult task.

The answer was a resounding no.

Having already become the first swimmer to break a world record at the London Aquatics Centre back in March 2012, Ellie stole the show on the evening of Saturday September 1 2012 with another record breaking effort to claim the S6 400m freestyle title in a thrilling final.

It’s a moment that she cherishes above everything else and we spoke to her about why it meant so much and her memories of that memorable day.

“People say that a Paralympic Games or international competition in your home country is something special and London 2012 was just that,” she said.

“Going to my first Paralympics in Beijing and winning two gold medals was a highlight, but as soon as the whole team touched down back in the UK it felt like the countdown to London was on.

“I was in my prime going into London as the 400m freestyle world champion and one of the home favourites but dealing with those expectations was tough.

“I look back now as a 25-year-old and I don’t think I realised quite how big London was. Reading all the newspaper cuttings and seeing how the country embraced the Olympics and the Paralympics, I wonder how I coped with it all!”

A couple of months before the Games, American swimmer Victoria Arlen came from nowhere to break Ellie’s world record and set up a fierce battle between the two teenagers.

Arlen was something of an unknown quantity at the time and London 2012 was to be the first time that the two of them would compete against each other.

Despite trailing for over three quarters of the race, Ellie timed her charge to perfection to stride away from Arlen in the last 50m and complete a flawless tactical race. Or so it seemed.

“I had a race tactic, but it certainly didn’t go to plan! My coach told me to expect Victoria to go out fast and to hold on to her before attacking in the second 200m.

“I remember seeing her by my side and I revved it up a gear, but she was doing the same and it wasn’t until the last turn that I touched the wall first in the whole race.

“To touch first and see I’d got the gold medal and a new world record was a huge relief that hit me and took all the pressure off my shoulders.

“I’m very lucky that the London Aquatics Centre is my home pool and I still train there now, so I can always use that as a motivator when training.”

Watching the race back, one thing that stands out is the incredible cauldron of noise generated inside the venue with 17,500 fans screaming the athletes on.

Dealing with such expectation and adulation would be challenging for many, let alone a 17-year-old competing against some swimmers more than double her age.

Twitter’s #paralympics hashtag was constantly trending throughout the Games, but for Ellie, staying away from social media was a key ingredient to her success.

“During the Games, I bought myself a cheap Nokia which had no internet and only the close contacts that I needed to speak to.

“I didn’t really want to see what was on social media at the time as you can lose your mind.

“After the Paralympics, I remember being bombarded by messages and sitting down for days just replying to people.

“I also received a number of letters through the post. Some of them just said ‘Ellie Simmonds, Paralympic swimmer’ – they weren’t even addressed to me – but they got here!

“Even looking back now at the schools that named houses after me and other athletes, that’s a lasting legacy and to be part of that still is amazing.

“When you’re an athlete in it, you don’t realise the impact you actually have on people and the amount of people you can inspire and change.”

Fans across the world have had to remain patient for the return of live action as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the sporting calendar.

It’s led many to watch repeats of their favourite moments from years gone by, but has it been the same for athletes?

“I haven’t actually watched the race too much, probably four times in total.

“I remember watching it before Rio 2016 as a motivation and obviously in the aftermath of London 2012 with my coach to evaluate it.

“I’ve not yet watched it during lockdown which is quite surprising as I’m definitely missing racing at the moment and I wish Tokyo was this year, but we’ve got to be patient and wait until 2021.”