Magnificent Maskill wins third gold in Paris

Poppy Maskill smiling on the lane ropeImage source, PA Media
Image caption,

Poppy Maskill has won seven world championship medals

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Great Britain's Poppy Maskill claimed her third gold medal of the Paralympics in Paris by winning the women's S14 100m backstroke.

Maskill, 19, continued her wonderful Games by adding to the two golds and two silvers won earlier in the Games.

She trailed Valeriia Shabalina at the halfway mark, but fought back to win in a time of one minute 5.74 seconds, while fellow Briton Olivia Newman-Baronius took bronze.

Maskill's victory took ParalympicsGB to 41 gold medals in Paris, equalling the tally achieved by the team in Tokyo three years ago.

"I was a little bit annoyed because it was not a personal best but it was still a gold so I can't be too annoyed," said Maskell.

"I'm obviously happy with my medals as they are a great achievement but I'm slightly disappointed in my time because I know I can be better.”

Maskell's five medals means she has won the most of any ParalympicsGB athlete.

"I would have thought it would be Alice [Tai] or someone else. It feels great," she said.

This gold comes after Maskill claimed first place in the 100m S14 butterfly and the mixed 4x100m S14 freestyle relay.

Maskill also won silver in both the 200m freestyle S14 and the 200m individual medley S14.

Earlier, Mark Tompsett, 17, won bronze in the men's S14 100m backstroke while Maisie Summers-Newton added a bronze in the women's S6 400m freestyle to the two gold medals she had previously won in Paris.