Ellie Simmonds says she ‘knows’ it’s time for her to retire after announcing that the Tokyo Games will be her last-ever Paralympics.
The 26-year-old swimmer shared the news after being falsely disqualified in the S6 400m freestyle final on Thursday, and will leave as an eight-time medallist, including five golds.
She leaves the Paralympics as one of Great Britain’s greatest ever athletes, and Ellie, from the West Midlands, said that she can’t wait to see what the ‘future holds’.
‘I think sometimes you know [it’s time]’, she said on Good Morning Britain today. ‘To come to my fourth Paralympics has been amazing and to see the team absolutely smash it.
Ellie Simmonds says she ‘knows’ it’s time for her to retire after announcing that the Tokyo Games will be her last-ever Paralympics. She is pictured celebrating after winning gold in the Womens 400m Freestyle at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
She leaves the Paralympics as one of Great Britain’s greatest ever athletes and appearing on Good Morning Britain today Ellie, from the West Midlands, said that she can’t wait to see what the ‘future holds’
‘I’m looking forward to going home, to see my family, take a few days break and evaluate and see what the future holds.’
The swimmer was told immediately after her race on Thursday that she had been disqualified because judges believed she had failed to touch the wall at her second turn in the pool.
But she discovered an hour afterwards that her time was in fact legal and she was reinstated in fifth place.
Ellie won two gold medals in the S6 100m and 400m freestyle at the 2008 Games in Beijing and was the youngest British athlete competing in China at just 13.
The 26-year-old swimmer shared the news after being disqualified in the S6 400m freestyle final on Thursday, and will leave as an eight-time medallist, including five golds
Four years later on home soil in London, she added to her gold-medal collection by successfully defending her S6 400m freestyle crown in a world-record time that shaved off five seconds.
At London 2012 Ellie successfully defended her S6 400m freestyle crown in a world-record time that shaved off five seconds
She then set another world record time on her way to winning the S6 200m individual medley and won silver in the S6 100m freestyle and bronze in the S6 50m freestyle.
And at the Rio 2016 she won gold in the S6 200m individual medley setting a new world record, the first time ever below three minutes at 2:59.81. A bronze medal in the S6 400m freestyle also followed.
She said that it was the 2004 Athens Games that inspired her to aim for the Paralympics and that it’s been ‘amazing’ to have been part of Team GB.
‘I remember watching Athens Paralympics as a nine-year-old and being inspired to go to the Paralympics and get a gold medal,’ she said.
‘To think four games later and be part of the team, we’re absolutely smashing it out here, when you’re in the moment you don’t really think of the outside world, but it’s just amazing to be part of it.’
One of the most memorable moments of Ellie’s career was taking part in the 2012 Games, saying she was proud to bring home medals after becoming the ‘poster girl’ of the Paralympics.
Ellie, pictured during training, says that it was the 2004 Athens Games that inspired her to aim for the Paralympics and that it’s been ‘amazing’ to have been part of Team GB
‘I think it’s going to be the moment I take to my grave, it was the most amazing summer,’ she said. ‘For me it was the build up, as soon as we came back from Beijing 2008, the whole lead up to 2012.
‘I remember 2005 when we won the bid, the whole build up to it, to be part of that and part of the whole summer. Watching Super Saturday, watching the opening ceremony and thinking, “This is us, it’s the Paralympics’ turn”.
‘To be the poster girl in a sense and then going away achieving the gold and the bronze, it was incredible to be part of and it will definitely be a games I will never forget.’
Despite being such a seasoned athlete, Ellie says that Tokyo was challenging because she wasn’t able to have her parents nearby.
‘I think for me it’s my parents, not having many parents of supporters in the crowd definitely makes a difference’, she said.
At the 2016 Games in Rio, the Walsall-born swimmer won a Paralympic gold and bronze
Simmonds was a flag bearer for Great Britain at Tokyo – their first woman to do so since 2000
‘Every competition I’ve been to, my parents are always there. They’re, in a sense, a support blanket for me and them not being there to give me hugs or be there for me it’s hard.
‘Even though i’m 26 and an experienced athlete, not having them there has been a hard part for me.’
Speaking of the preparation ahead of the games, she went on: ‘Last year we had lockdown one and every person in the world was effected, we had four months out of the water, and then lockdown two and three it’s been very different.
‘There have been a lot of challenges just to get to these games. Social distancing, wearing masks, we normally watch our team mates and socialise, in that sense it’s been a bit lonely. But Tokyo did an amazing job, I love this village the food hall is one of the nicest.’
Despite her medal hopes being dashed this year, Ellie had the honour of becoming Great Britain’s first female flag bearer at a summer Paralympics since fellow swimmer Maggie McEleny in 2000.