The swimmer was thrust into the spotlight as a 19-year-old just as her idol Ellie Simmonds was leaving it, making for an awkward dynamic as she won gold in Tokyo.
Now 22, she has spent the last three years stewing on the defence of her 200m individual medley title, all while becoming the face of British para-swimming.
“I have a lot of self-doubt,” said Summers-Newton, who is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full-time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – which has been vital on their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.
“I think that’s something that has come since Tokyo, there’s a lot of pressure being Paralympic champion and then defending it. I just put so much pressure on myself.”
At least to those in the stands at La Defense Arena, SummersNewton need not have worried.
Denne historien er fra August 31, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra August 31, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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'Sometimes tears come out, you have to be an animal'
Whether you want him to or not, 40-year-old heavyweight Derek Chisora isn’t ready to stop yet
Legacy of 'transcendent' Senna finds another gear
There’s something about sport, and the global fandom the lead protagonists generate, which triggers a propensity to heroworship.
Misfiring Madrid struggling to find European safety net
After beating the team 20th in the Premier League, Liverpool defeated the side 24th in the Champions League. The similarities may end there: it is scarcely a surprise Southampton occupy that station in England. But Real Madrid, the reigning champions of Europe, find themselves 24th after five rounds.
Hojlund brace secures win in chaotic performance
The banner in the Stretford End was written in Ruben Amorim’s native Portuguese. “Bem vindo a casa,” it read. Welcome home.
Insurance 'mega merger' is no great deal for consumers
The City loves a deal. Consumers, not so much. For them, a tieup between insurance giants Aviva and Direct Line, at a time when car insurance prices are at historic highs, is a far from enticing prospect.
Is the British car industry on the skids once more?
As Vauxhall plans to close its Luton plant putting 1,100 jobs at risk, Howard Mustoe asks if government policy is to blame
Brat girl's down and dirty
Charli XCX starts her victory lap in Manchester with a live show that’s as brazen as it is brilliant
Obsession and darkness at centre of Hitchcock classic
The 1964 psychodrama Marnie’ was blighted by its director’s behaviour towards the lead star Tippi Hedren, resulting in dramatic results on and off screen
CARDINAL SINS
The twisty, Oscar-tipped Conclave’ needed more than shock and awe, writes Clarisse Loughrey, while the beautiful loneliness of All We Imagine as Light’ will speak to your soul
MasterChef host faces the heat away from the kitchen
Gregg Wallace is stepping back from the long-running BBC show while claims of misconduct are probed. Nick Hilton looks at the story of the greengrocer-turned-TV presenter
