Ellie Robinson MBE

Gold medal swimmer

Ellie Robinson MBE shot to international fame in 2016 when millions watched her swagger on stage in a giant coat at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, taking home the gold medal for the s6 50m butterfly. She has gone on to win seven gold, seven bronze and four silver medals before the age of 18.

Swimming since age four, Ellie was at Northampton Swimming Club when watching her now-teammate Ellie Simmonds at the London 2012 Paralympics inspired her. Ellie debuted for Great Britain at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships, where she won three bronze and one silver medal in her first international meet.

Ellie has a rare type of dwarfism, Cartilage Hair Hypoplasia, which can come with health complications. In November 2012 she was diagnosed with Perthes hip disease which requires her to undergo daily physiotherapy. 

In 2016, after the Rio Paralympics, she was named the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. Ellie was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours list.

 Just days after starting her GCSE exams, Ellie took gold and silver at the 2017 British Para-Swimming International Meet and continued to go for gold in 2018, winning the women’s butterfly 50m at the World Para Swimming European Championships in Dublin and at the Australian Commonwealth Games. She continues to balance swimming training with her education and regularly visits schools to talk about her career and overcoming adversity to achieve your dreams.