SWINDON’S Suzanna Hext claimed gold at the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester earlier this month.

Hext scooped her first ever medal on the world stage during the S5 Classification 50m freestyle event before also adding a silver to her collection in the 100m version later on.

The Swindon ASC member had spent five days in a high-dependency ward just a few weeks before the World Para Championships and was only discharged from hospital a couple of days before her first race in Manchester.

Hext was also battling a left cochlear implant infection leading up to her S5 Classification 100m Freestyle race but still managed to secure a podium finish.

"I got out of hospital at lunchtime on Saturday, had one training day on the Sunday, raced on the Monday and somehow became world champion," Hext told BBC Sport.

"It still doesn't feel like it's sunk in completely."

Meanwhile, club mate Ella Williams won two gold medals at the English Nationals Summer Meet in the S13 Multi-Classification 200m Individual Medley and 100m Butterfly events.

In a hectic week for Williams at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, the Swindon athlete qualified for and raced in six separate events, racing every day for five days.

Including heats and finals, Williams took part in an astonishing total of nine races while managing to hit new personal-best times in each one.

With the closure of the Health Hydro in Milton Road, both swimmers have been a regular sight at the Link Centre this year, training Monday to Friday in the early morning public lanes while also training on Saturday mornings at David Lloyd Leisure in Blunsdon. Williams then added three evening sessions to her programme with Swindon ASC.

Discussing the remarkable achievements of both women, Swindon ASC’s coach Dean Fouracre said: “Both Suz and Ella have had to cope with multiple injuries and illnesses this year, and it’s a testament to their determination and hard work that they’ve done so well in the World and National Para Championships.

“I am so proud and happy for both swimmers.”

Both athletes will be back in the pool after a short summer break, with Hext setting her sights on next year’s Paralympics in Paris while Williams will be looking to improve her national rankings further.