Great Britain Dominates Day 4 at Paralympics

Great Britain picked up four gold medals on day four of the 2024 Paralympic Games to maintain control of swimming’s medal table in Paris. Maisie Summers-Newton got the ball rolling for the Brits, winning her second gold medal of these Games in the women’s 100 breaststroke SB6. Summers-Newton led from start to finish, touching in 1:31.30 for new Paralympic and European records.

Brock Whiston added another gold for Great Britain in the 200 IM SM8, claiming gold in her Paralympic debut, five years after winning the 2019 World Championship title in a world record time. Whiston used a strong freestyle leg to power ahead of teammate Alice Tai and Viktoriia Ishchiulova to win in 2:40.37. Tai held on for the bronze medal, getting back on the podium for the second time in her Paralympic return to give Great Britain a 1-3 finish.

One day after her birthday, Grace Harvey struck gold in the women’s 100 breaststroke SB5. Harvey charged on the second 50 to get the win in 1:42.33. To close out the session, the all-teenage squad of William Ellard, Rhys Darbey, Poppy Maskill, and Olivia Newman-Baronius defended the nation’s gold medal from Tokyo in the mixed 4x100 freestyle relay S14. Ellard, the world record holder in the individual men’s event, put the squad in the lead after his opening leg and they never gave it up. Great Britain now leads the medal table by four golds, holding 11 compared to China’s seven.

In addition, there were three world records swum on Day 4. Brazil’s Gabriel dos Santos Araujo, who’s already picked up two gold medals in Paris, broke the men’s 150 IM SM2 record twice.

Ukraine’s Mykhailo Serbin won the men’s 100 backstroke S11 with a world record of 1:05.84. Serbin has dominated this event in the last three years, winning the Tokyo Paralympic crown and the last two world championship titles. Serbin brought the world record sub-1:06 for the first time.