By Giles Long, C4Paralympics reporter, three-time Paralympic
champion Swimming is one of the few Paralympic sports which
allows competitors with varying disabilities to compete against
each other. So swimmers with cerebral palsy, spinal injuries,
limb loss from birth or amputation and dwarfism can compete -
their classification depends on how much their disability
affects their mobility through the water. Ellie has a high level
of drag when she swims but freestyle is her strength because she
has good balance and hold of the water. Natalie has to work
harder to deliver power evenly through her body because of her
disability. However, as she is taller than Ellie she has an
advantage at the start of the race with the dive and turning off
the wall. It all tends to even itself out. The S stands for
freestyle, backstroke and butterfly strokes. Breaststroke is
classified separately as SB because it requires a greater
propulsion than the other three strokes. So a swimmer who
competes in multiple events may find their