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Eleanor SimmondsBritish Paralympic swimmer
Date of Birth: 11.11.1994
Country:  Great Britain |
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Biography of Eleanor Simmonds
Eleanor Simmonds, a British Paralympic swimmer, was born on November 11, 1994, in Walsall, a industrial town in West Midlands. She grew up in Aldridge and attended Aldridge School. Currently, she spends part of her time in Swansea, a city in South Wales, where she trains for two hours, nine times a week at the Wales National Pool. Before moving to Swansea, she trained at Boldmere Swimming Club in Sutton Coldfield, under the guidance of head coach Ashley Cox and several other instructors. In 2008, after her success at the Beijing Paralympic Games, Eleanor became a lifelong member of the club. She continues to maintain her connection with Boldmere Swimming Club, participating in the club's annual championships and occasionally visiting training sessions when she returns from Swansea.
Paralympic Career
Eleanor Simmonds competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, in freestyle swimming events at 50m, 100m, and 400m, butterfly swimming at 50m, and individual medley swimming at 200m. She competes in the S6 disability category. At the age of 13, she became the youngest British athlete to participate in the 2008 Paralympic Games. She finished 5th in the individual medley at 200m and won gold medals in the 100m and 400m freestyle events. In addition, Eleanor Simmonds is a ten-time gold medalist at the World Championships. As of September 1, 2012, she repeated her championship performance by winning gold in the 400m freestyle event at the London Paralympic Games.
Awards and Honors
In 2008, Eleanor Simmonds was awarded the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. The same year, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). At the age of 14, she became the youngest person ever to receive such an honor. In March 2012, she broke the world record in the 200m individual medley event at the London Aquatics Centre. Her time of 3:08.14 surpassed her own previous personal best by more than half a second. In 2011, Simmonds was awarded the Best British Sporting Performance for an Athlete with Disability at the Jaguar Academy annual sports awards.
