Nationality: UK
Inducted: 2024
Notable Record(s):
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Fastest swim short course 400 m freestyle - S6 (female) (5 min 27.58 sec)
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Youngest recipient of an MBE
An ICON because...
With her medal-winning exploits across four Paralympic Games, swimmer Ellie Simmonds inspired an entire generation of athletes – both those with disabilities and those without.
Born with a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, Ellie was just 13 when she competed at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.
She won two gold medals, a feat for which she was awarded an MBE and also earned her the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year award.
Ellie repeated her golden double at her home Games in London in 2012, breaking two world records in the pool.
She called time on her para-swimming career in 2021, having won 19 Paralympic and World Championship gold medals.
Ellie is a patron of the UK Dwarf Sports Association and an ambassador for WaterAid and the Scouts.
