26-03-2025
ParalympicsGB swimming ace Poppy Maskill collects MBE from the King
SWIMMER Poppy Maskill, who excelled at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, got an early birthday treat as she collected her MBE from the King this week.
Middlewich-based Maskill, who turns 20 on Saturday, won three gold and two silver medals for ParalympicsGB in the French capital and was also given the honour of being a flagbearer at the closing ceremony.
Speaking after collecting her MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, she said: 'I am very happy. It is such an honour to receive this award.'
Poppy Maskill, from Middlewich, is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III at Windsor Castle. The honour recognises services to swimming (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Poppy Maskill shakes hands with King Charles lll after receiving her MBE at Windsor Castle for services to swimming (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
A moment to treasure for Poppy Maskill as she shakes hands with King Charles lll after receiving her MBE at Windsor Castle for services to swimming (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire) Maskill said her MBE and her flagbearer role were both 'amazing things'.
The former Northwich Centurions Swimming Club and Winsford Swim Team member, who was honoured for her services to swimming, won ParalympicsGB's first medal of the Games with gold in the 100m S14 butterfly in world record time.
Poppy Maskill wins gold AND breaks the world record 🥇 What an opening day this has been for @ParalympicsGB #C4Paralympics | #ParalympicGames | #Paris2024
— C4 Paralympics (@C4Paralympics) August 29, 2024
She then went on to win golds in the S14 100m backstroke and 4x100m S14 freestyle relay as well as silvers in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley S14.
Poppy Maskill gives a wave to the crowd after receiving her first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games (Image: PA Wire)
Poppy Maskill swimming to gold medal success at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games (Image: PA Wire)
No ParalympicsGB athlete came home from the Games with more medals.
Her stunning year in the pool was capped off when she achieved a joint world's best time and broke a European record in the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield.
Maskill, a multiple world champion in the S14 intellectually impaired classification, was also honoured by the Sports Journalists' Association for her 2024 heroics.
The SJA named her as their Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year as part of their British Sports Awards.
Maskill is in training for the world championships in Singapore this year and next year's Commonwealth Games.
'I think I should be alright as long as I try hard,' she said.
Maskill first started making headlines in 2014 when she was the Middlewich rose queen, aged nine.
Her rise in swimming was noted with her international debut when she claimed a medal of each colour at the Madeira 2022 world championships.
She continued to establish herself on the global stage with a medal in all five of her events at the Manchester 2023 world championships, including gold in the mixed S14 4x100m freestyle relay.
And at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she represented Team England in the S14 200m freestyle placing fourth, while she was later that year awarded 'Emerging Para-Swimmer of the Year' at the Aquatics GB awards.
Away from swimming, Poppy is a lover of dogs and is fondly known among her teammates for having an incredibly large collection of Crocs footwear.
