Lyndon Longhorne urged people never to give up on their dreams as last week he brought his Tokyo 2020 Paralympics to a close with a new British record.

Longhorne was one of three Paralympic GB athletes in action during the final heats session of the Games. Although 25-year-old Longhorne missed out on a spot in the S4 50m Backstroke final, his time of 50.12 was 3.19 seconds faster than his previous British best of 53.31 he set in April.

The Derwentside SC swimmer said: “Yesterday wasn’t great. I took yesterday to rest and recover, I got myself pulled round and thought ‘why not’? “It’s the last one, I just have to go for it and put everything into the last race and I’m very happy with that. “That’s the closest I have been to sub 50. As much as I would like to go sub 50, I’m much happier with that.”

Longhorne said he had learned a lot from his Paralympics debut in Japan.

“For me normally, I’m used to competing over two or three days,” he said. “Working out over 10 days and trying to compete and doing eight races I have done, including a final I wasn’t expecting to get, it’s kind of like you’ve got to manage your body and go for it and keep that fighting spirit and not let it die off – it’s quite easy to be demotivated after one race.

“I wanted to put yesterday behind me, try and move on and think of my little one and everyone back home and just use all that to try and move forward and get through. “I’m happy with this great experience. It’s a dream I set in 2008. I failed in 2012, I but failed in 2016 – you never give up chasing your dreams at all. “It’s been absolutely amazing. Why not finish it off with a bang and get a new British record and move onto Paris now in 2024.”

Many congratulations to Lyndon from the North East Region on his performances at the Paralympics.