This article was first published in August 2024.
Iona Winnifrith is the youngest ParalympicsGB athlete competing in the Paris 2024 Paralympics. After a double win at the Para Swimming European Championships in Madeira, Portugal, where she triumphed with a European and British record, Iona is predicted to continue her rapid progress at the Games, at just 13-years-old.
Iona's passion for swimming was nurtured from a young age, with her mother Gillian taking her to 'Mother and Baby' swimming groups from just six months old. Her love for the sport really took hold when she joined her older brothers鈥 swimming club, after watching them compete from the sidelines. Iona became the youngest member of the 鈥楲earn to Swim鈥 team at five, before quickly moving up the ranks, and has been training at Tonbridge Swimming Club in Kent, for the last five years.
In 2024 alone, Iona has achieved an impressive amount, competing at the Para Swimming European Championships, British Summer Championships, the Paralympic trials, and the Para Swimming World Series in Italy. 鈥淚t's been a whirlwind!鈥 Iona's mother, Gillian exclaimed: 鈥淚n six months, going from national level, to international level - she鈥檚 making her dream.鈥
After winning the SM7 200m Individual Medley at the European Championships, Iona was determined to double her win with a second gold medal in the SB7 100m Breaststroke. 鈥淚t was quite good because when I got into the second race, I was going in as the fastest qualifier, so I knew I had a really good chance of winning," Iona said, "So when I did start swimming, I did it like I planned to do it.鈥 Iona secured the top spot with a breathtaking time of one minute, 29.91 seconds, and now, she鈥檚 about to face her biggest challenge yet: making her Paralympic debut.
But Iona is not the first British 13-year-old to make waves in the swimming pool; one of Iona's heroes, Ellie Simmonds OBE, did just that in 2008, before Iona was even born - a fact that gives Iona confidence going into the Games.
鈥淚 look up to Ellie Simmonds a lot.鈥 Iona said, having met the ParalympicGB legend multiple times with Ellie often commentating at Para swimming competitions. 鈥淪he's watched my races few times鈥 so I know her quite well." A fellow Paralympic swimmer, Ellie has won the coveted Paralympics gold medal five times in the S6 classification, winning her first at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics at age 13, just as Iona hopes to do. 鈥淓llie has a similar disability to me. She's been a really big inspiration for a lot of people, with short stature and dwarfism. In 2008, that's when the Paralympics first started looking at her, and now it feels like we're seeing a lot more come through which is nice."
Ranked first in her category, winning a gold medal could be on the cards for Iona too, and while some might find this kind of sporting pressure difficult to manage, Iona sees things differently - she believes she performs at her best when she is under pressure: 鈥淚 really am quite the person who likes pressure.鈥 She explains, 鈥淕etting my nerves together can work quite well, it makes me perform better at the big events. I know I can perform at a high level, so it's nice when I'm able to do that."
Well managed pressure and intensity drives Iona to push herself further; she attests to the power of setting yourself challenges to improve over time and achieve your goals, whether that鈥檚 getting to the final, bagging a medal, or setting a new personal best; "Some children find that being in an environment that's too high pressure can get to them, and some children like to be in high pressure environments and can perform greatly." The proof is in the pudding too 鈥 during her Paralympics training, Iona has been beating her personal records again and again in her pursuit of her gold medal.
And the pressure doesn鈥檛 end there either, schoolwork can be difficult to manage alongside extra-curricular activities for any child. When asked how she balances training and international competitions with schoolwork, Iona said she usually trains after school, 鈥淚t鈥檚 just getting a balance, right鈥 generally I just try and do what I can, when I can. Sometimes I'm so tired, they make me rest, like, 'You need a nap!'鈥
When it comes to getting fellow disabled people interested and actively participating in sport, Iona鈥檚 advice takes a grassroots approach to making that first step: 鈥淚f you have a disability, just drop by and see what your local club offers. If you want to do it, join it, and then you can go from there.鈥 Iona believes swimming can help young disabled people with their physical strength and found training really beneficial to her mental health following the Covid-19 pandemic. "I was on quite a high before Covid, and when Covid hit me, it got me quite down, and it was hard to get back up鈥 now I'm on my way to Paris!"
Asked about the life skills that inclusive sports can offer, Iona said, "Teamwork, and just being around other people with disabilities". This is a benefit Iona has appreciated on her inclusive sports journey - getting to meet other disabled people, and make new friends. At the Para Swimming European Championships in Madeira, Iona enjoyed forming bonds with her teammates: 鈥淭here was another girl who I shared a room with, it was her first international [competition] too, so it was quite good having someone else. It was quite a small team going to that, so it was a nice atmosphere to be in.鈥
How is Iona feeling ahead of Paris?
鈥淓xcited! I'm just, like, ready to go.鈥 She tells us. 鈥淎ll the teachers at my school were like, 鈥楽he's going to Paris, so we need to watch her!鈥"
And what鈥檚 that like?
鈥淧retty cool.鈥
Want to try inclusive Paralympic sport activities yourself? Visit the Super Movers for Every Body website where you'll find lots of fun teaching and learning activities to try, as well as information on how to get into inclusive sport in your local area.
Listen to Iona鈥檚 鈥楶aris: Grassroots to Glory鈥 episode on 91热爆 Sounds, as the teenager reflects her first Paralympic medal win.
