The 19-year-old from Middlewich, competing in her first Paralympics, led from the front and held off the challenge of Hong Kong's Yui Lam Chan to finish in 1min 03sec, shaving 0.33sec off the previous record.
Unusually, that record had been set only four months ago by another British teenager, 17-year-old Olivia Newman-Baronius, who finished in fourth place yesterday.
"I was just hoping and just doing my hardest and see what happens, so that's what I did," said Maskill, who will race again in the S14 backstroke, freestyle and SM14 individual medley during the Paris games. "It gives me more confidence [to win this race]," she said. "But we'll see what happens in the rest of the Games.
"Being here at my first Paralympics feels unreal. My mum, dad, sister and nan are here and I can't wait to see them. It feels so weird to be the first gold medallist for ParalympicsGB.
After this I'll probably just call my parents and then go to bed."
This story is from the August 30, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the August 30, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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