Welwyn's Louise Fiddes took home a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics on a glorious night for GB's swimmers.

The Hatfield Swimming Club star came third in the S14 200m freestyle behind team-mate Poppy Maskill, adding silver to her gold in the S14 100m butterfly on Thursday. 

GB had qualified with the three fastest times after the heats but Olivia Newman-Baronius was pushed into fourth as Valeriia Shabalina denied the British swimmers gold.

Louise Fiddes on the podium with her bronze medal. Picture: ADAM DAVY/PALouise Fiddes on the podium with her bronze medal. Picture: ADAM DAVY/PA (Image: Adam Davy/PA)

 

That came amid joyous scenes at the La Defense Arena with three British golds in 36 minutes.

Alice Tai topped the Paralympic podium less than three years after opting to have her right leg amputated.

Tai, a gold medallist from Rio 2016, had missed Tokyo 2020 due to an elbow injury before deciding to undergo surgery below the knee due to pain in her club foot and nerve damage caused by using crutches.

The 25-year-old completed the gold rush with victory in the S8 100m backstroke.

It had all began in the opening race of the evening session, Stephen Clegg comfortably holding off the challenge of Azerbaijan’s Raman Salei and Ukraine’s Yaroslav Denysenko to win the S12 100m backstroke and his first Paralympic gold.

And while Clegg was conducting his post-race interviews, 18-year-old William Ellard took the S14 200m freestyle crown.