Paralympics day six: Great Britain’s Ellie Challis aims to make a splash again

The swimmer is back in action a day after winning backstroke gold.

Great Britain’s Ellie Challis during a training session at La Defense Arena ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games. Picture date: Wednesday August 28, 2024. (PA Wire)

Swimmer Ellie Challis will lead the charge for Great Britain on Tuesday after another hugely successful day at the Paris Paralympics.

Challis will return to the pool just one day after clinching backstroke gold on Monday – a day that also saw gold for boccia star Stephen Maguire, triathlon duo Dave Ellis and Megan Richter, and archery aces Nathan Macqueen and Jodie Grinham.

Ellie aims higher

Ellie Challis is hoping to improve on her “most incredible day ever” by winning a gold medal in the S3 100m freestyle in the Paris pool.

Challis clinched S3 50m backstroke gold on Monday and will now target more success in the 100m freestyle, an event in which she is a two-time world silver medallist.

Tully Kearney will target her third gold of the Games in the women’s S5 50m backstroke, while Grace Harvey looks to add to her gold in the women’s 100m SB5 breaststroke when she competes in the S6 50m butterfly.

Seventh heaven for Baker?

Natasha Baker expects to be pushed to the limit when she targets her seventh Paralympic gold in her individual dressage final in Paris on Tuesday.

Baker is part of a hugely successful Great Britain squad, also including Sophie Wells, Mari Durward-Akhurst and Georgia Wilson, which will also bid for an eighth successive team gold later in the Games.

But Baker warned: “It is going to be tougher than ever to win those medals this time. I think we are ready for it, and I think it is going to be a great competition.”

Sabre star Piers in confident mood

Piers Gilliver is out to make more fencing history when he goes for gold in the men’s sabre A competition on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old clinched a silver medal on his Games debut in Rio in 2016 and followed it up by becoming the first British fencer to win Paralympic gold for 33 years with his victory in the epee category in Tokyo.

Gilliver, who has won three World Championship medals in sabre, will contest his quarter-final on Tuesday afternoon and hope to still be involved when the competition concludes with the gold medal match shortly before 10pm in the French capital.

Jonnie falls just short

Two-time Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock fell short of repeating the feat when he finished fifth in the men’s T64 100m final in Paris on Monday.

Peacock made a fine start but eventually crossed the line in 10.91 seconds, with Costa Rica’s Sherman Guity taking a surprise gold medal in a Paralympic record time of 10.65 seconds.

The 31-year-old Peacock insisted to the BBC afterwards: “It’s frustrating but 2017 Jonnie would have wiped the floor with all of them.”

Scot Stephen McGuire won boccia gold with victory over Colombia’s Edilson Chica, while there was double para-triathlon glory with gold medals for Dave Ellis and Megan Richter respectively.

Medal update after Monday’s action

Four more golds on Monday saw Great Britain consolidate their place in second place in the Paralympic medals table with some big hitters – including their all-conquering dressage team – still to come.

The United States continue to hold off Brazil in third place while a badminton gold for hosts France has seen them already match their tally of gold medals from the Tokyo Games with just five days gone.