“I always look forward”: Ellie Challis on overcoming adversity to be one of the world’s fastest para-swimmers

Ellie Challis

Credit: Getty

Strong Women


“I always look forward”: Ellie Challis on overcoming adversity to be one of the world’s fastest para-swimmers

By Lauren Geall

6 months ago

4 min read

At 20 years old, Ellie Challis is already an Olympic medal-winning para-swimmer and world record holder. Here, she tells Strong Women how she’s preparing to compete at the Paralympics in Paris later this month.

Welcome back to Strong Women’s new series, Going for Gold, where we’ll be looking behind the scenes with incredible female Olympians and Paralympians in the run-up to Paris 2024. From what their training regimes look like to how they support their hormonal health, consider this your insider guide to what it takes to be one of the best in the world.

This week, we’re getting to know Ellie Challis, a para-swimmer who is preparing to compete at her second Paralympics in Paris. At her debut Paralympics in Tokyo, she won silver in the S3 50m backstroke (the classification for athletes with severe limb disabilities) and became Paralympics GB’s youngest medallist at the Games. Challis currently holds the world record in the SB2 50m breaststroke (the breaststroke-specific classification for athletes with severe limb disabilities) and holds British records in the S3 50m and 100m freestyle.


Hi Ellie! Can you tell us how you first got into para-swimming and when you knew you had potential?

I didn’t learn to swim until I was eight years old, and my main motivation was simply to be safe in the water. However, I was eventually approached by a disabled swimming club in my local area, and I started doing a few competitions with them. 

That was as far as my swimming career went until I got selected for the World Championships in 2019. I ended up winning a few races there, and that set me on the trajectory to compete at Tokyo 2020.

You’ve broken numerous records throughout your career so far – how do you train to get to this level?

I do seven to eight swim sessions a week as well as three gym sessions. I also do a snowboarding lesson in the middle of the week as it’s my favourite hobby outside of swimming and is a great form of physio for my hips and core. 

That’s a lot of activity. How do you stay fuelled?

I always make sure to eat a good meal before and after my training sessions. Pre-session, my go-to is a jacket potato with cheese and beans, whereas after a session I’ll opt for something like chicken and rice with BBQ sauce.

Ellie Challis diving into the pool

Credit: Getty

Do you use caffeine to help you stay energised at all?

I don’t drink coffee but I love tea.

Do you drink alcohol at all?

Not very often. I’ll occasionally have a drink during my downtime, but that’s it.

Talking about energy, does sleep play a big role in your recovery?

I sleep a lot for recovery – around six to eight hours every night. Sleep is very important to me, but I think that’s the case for all swimmers.

Does your training schedule allow for hormonal fluctuations – ie a regular menstrual cycle – and how do you manage those?

I manage any hormonal fluctuations with a lot of communication with my coach. That’s the key; we discuss training loads and the best approach to a block of sessions to get the best out of me.

When you’ve got a big competition coming up, how do you prepare?

Before I compete, I always make sure to have a good meal: usually beans on toast. To pump myself up I put my headphones on and listen to some of my favourite music or dance around my room with my teammate. Then I’m ready to go.

And what about after you win – how do you celebrate?

I compete in a lot of different races during a big competition, so in the middle of it all, I usually have dinner and then go to bed early so I’m prepped for my next event. But at the end of the competition, I celebrate by relaxing with my family.

Ellie Challis doing backstroke

Credit: Getty

Being a competitive para-athlete comes with its challenges – can you tell us about the toughest moment of your career so far and how you navigated it?

I’ve had to have a few surgeries over the last year, which has been tough. I’ve had lots of surgeries throughout my life, but these recent ones were unexpected and having them in the year before the Paralympic Games has been really challenging.

What most people don’t know is that I have to adapt and re-learn my swimming technique after every surgery, especially when it comes to my diving and turns.

To get through these challenging moments I just try to enjoy myself where possible and look for the good in the situation. I also always look forward to what’s coming next – I know I can’t control what’s happened in the past so looking forward helps me to take my mind off of it all and focus on what’s important. 

Who do you see as the biggest inspiration for women in para-swimming?

Ellie Simmonds, of course!

What’s one piece of advice would you give to an amateur para-swimmer who is looking to improve?

Make sure you’re in an environment that you enjoy and can have fun in. A happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.

Thanks to Visa, Visa ambassador Ellie Challis is working with financial education app GoHenry to help make every kid smart with money.


Images: Getty

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