ParalympicsGB has a remarkable Super Saturday in the pool, with Clegg, Ellard, and Tai all claiming gold medals.

ParalympicsGB swimmers had an incredible Super Saturday in Paris, securing five medals—including three golds—in just 40 minutes at La Défense Arena, while also setting two new world records.

This medal surge bolstered Great Britain’s position in second place on the medal table, though China remains far ahead at the top. The triumphs in the pool contrasted with heartbreak at the velodrome, where a late crash cost Archie Atkinson a seemingly guaranteed gold.

Stephen Clegg kicked off the gold rush with a commanding performance in the S12 100m backstroke, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of his competitors and setting a world record with a time of 59.02 seconds. The Scotsman, who earned three medals at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 but missed out on gold, took a break from swimming to focus on jujitsu, a decision that has clearly paid off. "I’m speechless. I wanted to bury my head in the sand after Tokyo," the 28-year-old told Channel 4. "This gold has been a long time coming. The pressure is off a bit now. What a way to start.”

Following Clegg, William Ellard claimed the top podium spot in the S14 200m freestyle. The 18-year-old from Suffolk, who described the buildup as “probably the most nervous I’ve ever been before a race,” showed no signs of nerves as he secured gold and broke another world record with a time of 1:51.30.

Alice Tai added a third gold for Britain just minutes later in the women’s S8 100m backstroke. The 25-year-old, who was born with bilateral talipes (clubfoot), returned to top form after missing the Tokyo Games due to injury and undergoing an amputation below the knee in 2022. Her performance in Paris was dominant, finishing nearly six seconds ahead of the competition.

In addition, ParalympicsGB secured a double podium finish in the women’s S14 200m freestyle, with Poppy Maskill earning silver to add to her earlier gold in the 100m butterfly, and Louise Fiddes taking bronze. Neutral athlete Valeriia Shabalina took the gold in that event.

Earlier, there was drama in the velodrome as Archie Atkinson crashed in the men’s C4 4,000m individual pursuit final with less than two laps to go. Despite the fall, he secured a silver medal and broke the world record in the process. “I just ran out of energy and went down but I’m so proud, so happy,” he said.

Jaco van Gass, after winning gold on Friday, narrowly missed out on another medal in the C1-3 1,000m time trial, finishing fourth after time adjustments despite breaking the world record.

In table tennis, the British duo of Paul Karabardak and Billy Shilton claimed bronze in the MD14 men’s doubles after a 3-0 semi-final loss to the top-seeded team from Thailand. Karabardak, who had won silver and bronze at Tokyo 2020, reflected on the loss: “Had we taken one of those first two sets it might have been a different game—that’s sport and we have to give them credit for taking their opportunities.”

Meanwhile, GB’s men’s wheelchair basketball team secured their second group-stage win with an 88-58 victory over Canada, the London 2012 gold medallists, with captain Philip Pratt contributing 20 points. The women’s team, however, fell to Canada, 63-54, in their group-stage game. "The most important thing from this is staying together and staying united,” said the women’s captain, Sophie Carrigill. “We’ll keep our heads up.”