"Swimming sets me free"
When double Paralympic champion Maisie Summers-Newton met Ellie Simmonds, it was like meeting Beyoncé — but her mum is her real hero
© Jude Edginton
- Laura Rutkowski
The 22-year-old from Wollaston in Northamptonshire was a double Paralympic Champion in Tokyo in the 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley, setting a world record. This year, she’ll be defending her titles and is competing in the 200m individual medley, 100m breaststroke and 400m freestyle. She was awarded an MBE in 2022.
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MAISIE SUMMERS-NEWTON
I started swimming when I was seven, going four or five times a week at my local club in Wellingborough. When the 2012 Paralympic Games came around, Northamptonshire Sport held an event where we could see what parasports was all about. My mum booked me in for a session. I was sitting in the car and crying, ‘I don’t want to get into the pool.’ I loved swimming, but I was nervous about meeting new people and being in a new environment.
I went on to train more intensely at Northampton Swimming Club, and I’m still there today. After my frst year, my times dropped and were close to Ellie Simmonds’s. The frst time I met her, when I was 12 or 13, it was like meeting Beyoncé. At the World Para Swimming European Championships, I was 15 and it was my first senior meet, and my first time representing Great Britain. That’s where I beat Ellie for the first time – I felt quite bad! – and broke her world record. I’d always dreamt of racing against her.
My mum is the core of everything – I’d be lost without her
Maisie
I train for around two and a half hours, eight times a week, often waking up at 4am for a 5am start. I’m also in the gym twice a week. I eat everything in moderation and don’t restrict myself too much. When I’ve done a hard session, it’s nice to come back to my mum’s home-cooked meal. My mum is the core of everything – I’d be lost without her. My grandad is also my inspiration – he took me to training and competitions when Mum was at work, he looked after my two sisters and helped out financially sometimes.
With my condition, achondroplasia [dwarfism], I was born with loose ligaments and bowed legs. I really struggle to walk. The pain can be excruciating in my legs, knees, hips, ankles and my lower back. That’s why I love my sport so much – swimming is really freeing. There’s no pain, there’s no restriction in the way I move.
As a kid, I was in hospital a lot, with my first operations when I was eight. I had a surgery called eight-plate, where I have two lots of plates in each of my legs in the shape of an eight, which tighten my ligaments and straighten my legs. I’m very grateful that my mum decided to do that, because my legs are stronger because of it.
I saw lots of children while I was there, so I always wanted to be a paediatrician, but decided on primary education. I finished my degree at Northampton University in May, so I’m a qualified teacher now. I’m not going to teach straightaway after Paris, but one day I’ll definitely be in a classroom, teaching children about disability and inspiring the next generation.
I’m grateful that my village is very welcoming, but there are people who stare. We need to educate people about correcting their language. The word ‘midget’ is not OK – I’m a little person or someone with dwarfsm. I don’t like people referring to me as a dwarf, because I’m just Maisie. I don’t think anyone should be defined by what they look like.”
Maisie Summers-Newton and her mum, Laura Courtesy of Maisie Summers-Newton
LAURA SUMMERS
MAISIE’S MUM
Maisie has amazing eyes. People always used to stop and comment on them. She was a smiley, happy child and she’s never given me any grief! Maisie’s my eldest and the only one of my three daughters with dwarfsm. We didn’t find out until she was about six months old, because growth often starts to stunt after birth.
We were told to Google ‘achondroplasia’, which I’d never heard of. I’ve always been very protective of Maisie, and I still am now. I don’t know if that’s because she’s my first child, or if it’s because she is obviously special.
Generations of my family have grown up in Wollaston, so she’s never had any issues with bullying in our village. We don’t see her any differently. The children absolutely love her. If they see her in the shop, they’ll whisper, ‘There’s Maisie. There’s Maisie.’
When Maisie was young, she was scared to swim, because she couldn’t touch the bottom, even in the shallow end. But once she was in there with armbands, she loved it. My main objective was that she was safe in the water. She couldn’t do any other sports, she didn’t do PE at school, but swimming was the one thing that didn’t put any pressure on her joints.
Since she beat Ellie Simmonds, there’s been no stopping her
Laura
We are a swimming family – I used to swim, and my dad, Jeff, was heavily involved with Wellingborough Swimming Club. My daughters’ dad hasn’t been in their lives, so my father’s been like a dad to them. All three girls were in different squads, so my dad and I would drop them off and pick them up between us. He still goes to all of Maisie’s meets and writes her times down.
My youngest, Pia, 18, swam at the British Nationals when she was 15, but she didn’t win, so she decided to quit, as did my daughter, Boe (20), at the same age. As Maisie progressed, we would go to meets around the UK. It’s so nerve-racking watching her! When she beat Ellie Simmonds for the first time, we were like, wow! Since then, there’s been no stopping her.
I work for a motorhome dealership and my children all still live at home. I’m the laundry lady, the cleaning lady, the kitchen lady. I’ll do at least two loads of laundry a day, because if Maisie is training twice a day, that’s already two towels!
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Maisie works really hard, plus she just qualified as a teacher, so it’s been easier for her to be at home. She’ll walk in and her dinner’s ready – she’s not got to think about things like that. She loves a good pasta dish, or a burger! I’m proud of her in everything she does. She’s a real inspiration. She puts pressure on herself, because of the expectation of her now from others. But as her family, it doesn’t matter to us where she places.”
Authors
Laura Rutkowski
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