Ellie Simmonds was Britain’s youngest athlete at the Beijing Games in 2008. As the Games opened she was just 13 years 9 months. Incredibly she won two gold medals at the aquatic centre in the 100 metres and 400 metres freestyle.
She was awarded the BBC Young Sports Personality Award later in 2008 and was made an MBE in the New Year Honours list in 2009, the youngest person ever to receive an MBE. Ellie received an OBE in the 2013 New Year Honours list.
Ellie had already become the poster girl of the Games and went on to smash the world record in the S6 400m freestyle at the London 2012 Paralympics. Ellie won Gold medals in both the S6 400m and SM6 200m individual medley and a Bronze in the S6 50m freestyle.