'I can go a lot quicker than my new world record'

An 18-year-old Paralympian who beat a swimming world record by more than a second believes he can go even faster.

Will Ellard, from Beccles, Suffolk, is in Paris competing in his first Paralympic Games in the S14 intellectually impaired classification in the pool.

On Thursday the swimmer took silver - his first medal of the games - in the 100m butterfly, before winning the 200m freestyle and lowering the world record by 1.1 seconds on Saturday.

He told the BBC he felt "amazing" after his record-breaking swim.

"I had to give my all, otherwise I would have a lot of regrets after," he said.

Ellard won the race in 1:51.30 - beating the previous best time of 1:52.40 set by Great Britain's Reece Dunn at Tokyo.

Asked if he felt like he was swimming at a world-beating pace, the swimmer said "no".

"Touching the wall, I thought it said one [minute] 53.3.

"I can go a lot quicker than that next year, hopefully.

"I just have to work on a few things with my coach and try and settle the nerves down before my race, because it's quite high tension in the call room.

"Being up on that podium means so much to me. I'm over the moon."

Ellard also went on to win the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay on Sunday.

Ellard's mum and dad, Lorna and Dave Ellard, have been in Paris watching him compete.

They told BBC Radio Suffolk they were "ecstatic" with his results so far.

"On Saturday it was absolutely unbelievable to see him swim like that," Mr Ellard said.

"We did have to get the tissues out because it was certainly emotional."

Mrs Ellard added her son had done "an amazing job".

"My phone has been non-stop pinging, it's on fire," she said.

"The whole of Beccles, the surrounding areas and people we don't even know have been sending messages."

Will takes on the 200m individual medley on Wednesday before the 100m backstroke on Friday.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.