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'There is no-one more deserving than Maisie'

James Burridge
BBC Sport
Reporting fromLive from Northampton
Katy Prickett
BBC News, Northamptonshire
James Burridge/BBC Boys, girls, women and men wearing blue T-shirts, holding Union flags, sitting on chairs, and cheering Maisie Summers-Newton on as they watch her take part in the Paris Paralympics 2024James Burridge/BBC
Maisie Summers-Newton's Northampton club mates watched her win gold with a time of 2:56.90

Swimmers from Maisie Summers-Newton's club have reacted with joy after she blew away the competition to defend her Paralympic title in Paris.

Northampton Swimming Club organised a watch party to see the Great Britain athlete win gold in the women's 200m individual medley SM6 final.

Club member Lana, 14, said: "It means so much to us to know that every stroke she put out there was just thousands in the pool here and there's no-one more deserving to be Paralympic champion."

Summers-Newton, 22, from Wollaston, Northamptonshire, will defend her 100m title on Sunday.

PA Media Maisie Summers-Newton wearing a white Team GB sweatshirt smiling and clapping with a gold Paralympic medal around her neck, and a crowd applauding in the backgroundPA Media
The champion has been juggling intensive hours in the pool with a three-year teacher training degree, which she has just completed

Club coach Liam Noonan organised the watch party and admitted to "a lot of emotion, especially seeing Maisie win gold".

Rose, 12, said: "It's been really inspiring to see someone from our club who is just so amazing and it is such a great achievement and motivational for us."

James Burridge/BBC A girl with dark blonde hair in a ponytail pulled over one shoulder, wearing a blue T-shirt and standing in front of a bright blue swimming pool with a life guard on a tall chair to her right and some swimmers to her leftJames Burridge/BBC
Twelve-year-old Rose said Summers-Newton "just inspires us all"

The swimming club has produced a number of athletes who compete on the international stage, winning medals at the European and World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Paralympic Games.

They include teammates Bruce Dee and twins Scarlett and Eliza Humphrey, who made their Paralympic debut, with Dee just missing out on fourth place in the men's SM6 200m.

Mr Noonan said seeing club members do so well should inspire younger swimmers "to really challenge themselves and participate and compete at the highest level".

"Hopefully they'll be at the Paralympics or Olympics in four years time or eight years time," he added.

James Burridge/BBC A girl with long light brown hair over her shoulders, wearing a blue T-shirt and standing in front of a bright blue swimming pool, with a life guard on a tall chair to her right and some swimmers to her leftJames Burridge/BBC
"It's us who've seen her month after month, year after year, who know how much she puts into it," said Lana

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