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.

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