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Last Updated: Monday September 15 2008 16:39 GMT


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Eleanor misses out on third gold


Eleanor Simmonds (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

Thirteen-year-old swimmer Eleanor Simmonds has missed out on her third gold at the Paralympics in Beijing.

The youngest member of the British Paralympics team only managed 5th in the 50 metre freestyle final, with Britain's Natalie Jones taking bronze.

The gold medal went to Netherlands' Mirjam de Koning-Peper, who set a world record of 35.60 secs.

But Eleanor had already swum to gold in the 100m freestyle, and beat her own world record in the 400m freestyle.

select this link to find out more about the Paralympics

The Swansea schoolgirl is the youngest person EVER to win a gold medal at the Paralympics.


Eleanor Simmonds of Great Britain wins the gold medal in the Women"s 100m Freestyle (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images) Eleanor's becoming a big sporting star And she's having such a great time swimming, she doesn't want to have to go back to school and study!

Eleanor said: "I don't really want to get back to school and use my brains."

She will be 17 when the 2012 Paralympics take place in London, and the organisers hope that her achievements will inspire a whole new squad of athletes to go for gold.

But Eleanor's not the only swimmer flying the flag for Britain in Beijing.

Medals

Jim Anderson, Robert Welbourn and Fran Williamson ALL won silver in the pool on Monday.


David Roberts (AP Photo/Greg Baker) David Roberts has won 11 golds! And on Sunday, 28-year-old Welshman David Roberts equalled Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson's record of 11 Paralympic golds by setting a new world record in the 50 metres freestyle.

However, on Monday he failed to win his 12th Paralympic gold, after Britain's men's 4x100 metres medley relay team finished fifth.

It was his fourth gold medal in Beijing, and took his total Paralympic medals to 16 from three Games.

Elsewhere, wheelchair tennis star Peter Norfolk also won gold to help Paralympics GB beat the gold medal target they were set before the Games.



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