Silver medal “highlight so far” for swimmer Ela
Winning a silver medal in Glasgow is the “highlight so far” for swimmer Ela Letton Jones – even though she also won silver at last year’s World Para Swimming Championships.
Ela is registered blind due to albinism, a condition involving a lack of pigmentation in the body.
She won her latest medal at the Commonwealth Games, completing the 100-metre race in one minute and 4.30 seconds, breaking both the Welsh record and her personal best.
The swimmer is very proud of her Welsh identity and of wearing the Welsh kit while competing.
Ela, 19, from Y Felinheli, Gwynedd, said: “Competing for Wales is just better, isn't it? I like that our kit shows ‘Cymru’ on the back, rather than ‘Wales’.
“I’d say that winning a medal at the World Championships counts for more, but in terms of doing it for Wales rather than GB—well, I think it’s better because my family was there too.”
She added: “After the race, I didn’t know whether I’d won a medal or not! And I didn’t know the time I’d clocked, or anything!
“It was the Team Manager, standing by the poolside, who told me.
“Usually, you can hear the commentator in the venue, but it was so noisy that I didn’t hear a thing!” “I knew how close it was going to be, and that made me a little bit more nervous.
“I didn’t think I’d get a medal when I went into the pool. But once I was in the water, you get a taste for it.”
Ela said that the word “silver” was written in Braille on the back of her medal.
She said: “I learned Braille back when I was in primary school. I didn’t like being taken out of class to learn it. But looking back, I’m glad I did.
“I think it’s more important for people with progressive conditions (involving sight loss).
“The Braille machine might be old-fashioned; it’s not very accessible. It’s not the same as being able to write with a pen.”
Ela plans to relax for a few weeks before returning to swimming in September.
She said: “I don’t think I’ll be very pleasant to be around if I don’t go swimming for a while!”
“To be honest, I’m looking forward to being around Welsh speakers. At college in Manchester, I only hear English all the time!”
She added that she would like to thank everyone for their support.
She said: “I don’t want to sound big-headed, but I’ve never felt so popular with people’s mums commenting on Facebook. That’s nice.”
Ela’s dream is to compete in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
She said: “Definitely. Los Angeles, more than ever. It’ll be cool to go there. I know they’re making driverless taxis.
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Because then I hope driverless cars will come here, and I’ll get to drive one without having to ask Mum and Dad for a lift!”
