Ellie Simmonds knew she had made the right decision in hanging up her goggles before the last Commonwealth Games and now cannot wait for the next edition in Glasgow this summer.

Now 31, Simmonds is one of the greatest and most popular para swimmers Great Britain has ever produced, winning the first of her five Paralympic gold medals at just 13 in Beijing before announcing her retirement in 2021.
The following summer she was on the ground at Birmingham 2022 as part of the organising committee for the event while also working with the BBC on their coverage.

And it was on the sofa with Clare Balding, Rebecca Adlington and Mark Foster that she was vindicated in her decision to call it a day.

She explained: “I loved Birmingham, seeing it from a different point of view. It was wonderful to be part of it.
“Watching the swimming in the Commonwealth Games, it was lovely not thinking I have to dive in that water and be cold, deal with the pressure and all that.

“I get to sit on the sofa, or sit and watch the sports, and just get to enjoy it from a spectator's point of view. I think that's nice because it means that I don't miss the sport.

“It's nice to be not wet, to have dry hair, not smelling of chlorine all the time. I miss being fit, that's for sure, but everything else is nice to let the athletes do that. You live in your sport, and swimming is a very time-consuming sport, the early mornings, the giving your life to it, it's nice to not be doing that all the time.”

While Simmonds no longer swims competitively, she remains a huge sports fan, and was in Loughborough as part of the King’s Baton Relay, supported by Team England’s official automotive partner, Geely, with every Commonwealth nation set to receive their own baton for the celebrations.

The 74 batons will be customised and decorated to represent the culture of their nations before being reunited at the opening ceremony of Glasgow 2026 where the Scotland baton will be presented to His Majesty and the message read aloud to declare the Games open.

For Simmonds, what sets Commonwealth Games apart is the fact that both para and non-disabled athletes compete at the same time, creating a greater sense of team unity for those selected.

She added: “I think it’s wonderful to celebrate having non-disabled and disability sports together.

“With the Olympics and Paralympics, even though it’s near enough the same year and the same time, we don’t really get to socialise until after the Games have finished. To be a team where you have you have Team England athletes with Olympians and Paralympians together, that community feel and team feel, I think that is really exciting.

“There is the exposure and the opportunity to compete with a mixture of all different people and I think it’s great for the athletes to have all that camaraderie.”

Team England are Ready to Win at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Keep up to date on https://teamengland.org/.