Hatfield swimmer Louise Fiddes is taking home two medals from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after she won silver 100m breaststroke SB14 and bronze in the 200m medley SM14.
The 20-year-old went into the games among the medal favourites after becoming breaststroke world champion in 2019, but she suffered disappointment in her early events.
Fiddes finished fifth in the 100m butterfly S14 final, before coming fourth in the 200m freestyle S14 behind team-mates Jessica-Jane Applegate and Bethany Firth who won bronze and silver, respectively.
But, in her favoured breaststroke race on Sunday, she touched the wall in second in 1:15.93 to win silver behind Spain’s Michelle Alonso Morales who took the gold.
Fiddes wasn’t done their though as in her final race on Tuesday, the 200m medley SM14, she secured the bronze medal behind Firth who took silver and Russia’s Valeriia Shabalina who won gold.
Speaking after winning silver, the Hatfield swimmer admitted preparations had been tough because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting her time in the pool, but she was pleased to take home a medal.
“It has been so horrendous, being out of the pool for such a long time,” she said.
“Before this year, I have had just two weeks out and I was so worried and losing more and more faith as I was doing more and more events, not hitting PBs. I was so worried.
“But the staff here at British Swimming pulled me back together and I was so shocked when I finished.
“In the last 25m, my eyes were closed and I just thought 'please don’t be sick', just keep going. It is not on a PB, two and a bit seconds off but I am happy I have a medal.”
Revealing how she trained for the games from home during lockdowns, Fiddes added: “I did what everyone else did, I put a paddling pool up in the garden, attached a bungee to the tree to try and pretend swim.
“But it has been so difficult to get in the pool, I have been getting more injuries and it is just so many small little things.
“So I have not been times as good or recovering as well. It has been a tough year but after swimming badly in my other events, I am just so motivated now for Paris. But I am so pleased I managed to get a medal here.”
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