13-year-old Iona Winnifrith shone on Paralympic debut as the British swimmer claimed silver in the 100m breaststroke in Paris.
Winnifrith is the youngest member of the current ParalympicsGB squad but set a lifetime best to come second in the women’s SB7 race at La Defense Arena.
Her time of one minute and 29.69 seconds was only bested by neutral athlete Mariia Pavlova, who set a world record to win gold, with Canadian Tess Routliffe claiming bronze in third.
The Brit, who has a form of skeletal dysplasia, is already a double European Champion and savoured her first Paralympic medal.
‘I’m really happy with that performance and getting a silver medal at 13 is really cool,’ Winnifrith said after her race.
‘I spoke with my coach (and the plan was) just try and keep up with the girls all the way through and then power it through the last length.
‘As much as I wanted that gold, I just knew I had to fight for it, and that’s what I did. I’m really proud.’
Winnifrith idolised five-time Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds growing up and is five months five months younger than the legendary British swimmer was when she claimed her first title at Beijing in 2008.
The teenager will have an opportunity to take home her second medal of the games in the 50m event which takes place on Saturday.
While she is Britain’s youngest Paralympian at these Games, she has not broken the record for Britain’s youngest-ever Paralympic medallist.
That record is still held by Joanne Rout who won two Gold medals and three silvers aged just twelve at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics.
Elsewhere, there was more teenage success for Britain on Thursday, with 14-year-old Bly Twomey securing her second Para-table tennis medal of the Games with bronze in the women’s WS7 singles.
Britain remain second in the medal table behind China.
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