From winning gold at the Paralympics in Rio to becoming a children’s author might appear to be an unusual voyage. Ellie Robinson, however, makes it sound like the most natural career path in the universe.
She retired from swimming after the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics and is currently juggling writing with her academics.
Her first book, The Gold Medal Mysteries, will be released on April 13, but on Saturday she will give an early preview in southern Scotland.
In 2012, Ellie from Northampton was diagnosed with Perthes disease in her right hip, a condition that affects children’s hip joints.
In 2016, at the tender age of 15, she won the S6 butterfly gold medal at the Paralympics.
After the conclusion of this chapter, Ellie was aware that many athletes had difficulty moving on, but she stated that she had found the transition to be relatively simple.
She stated,
“I believe there is a narrative that there is a bit of an identity crisis or that they struggle to transition into the next area.”
“It has been such an integral part of one’s identity that the loss of such a substantial portion of one’s existence is almost like a bereavement.
“I was quite fortunate, as it was a period of closure when nothing significant was occurring and training had ceased.”
Ellie began a degree in history and wrote extensively as well.
She explained,
“I was able to determine my next step while I was still an athlete.”
“I don’t know – I can’t say I aced it – but I feel like my transition was extraordinarily seamless because I knew what the next step was, and I sort of slipped into it.”
It was helpful when a literary agent saw an interview in which she discussed her passion for writing and pursued her.
Ellie was relieved to leave certain aspects of her previous existence behind.
When she was an athlete, she couldn’t say,
“I detested training,” because it wouldn’t sound good.
“However, now that I have retired from sports, I can say with pride that I detested training but enjoyed competing.”
That does not mean she has abandoned the world of sports; her first mystery novel combines her passions for history and sports.
“The majority of the life lessons I’ve learned and the personal growth I’ve experienced have come from swimming,” she acknowledged.
“There are many life lessons in the book that the characters acquire, and they undergo a great deal of personal development.
“I would say that about 90 percent of it is what I’ve learned in my own life and through swimming.”
In addition, it assisted her in planning her work, where her “inner swimmer” emerged.
“I believe I must be extremely disciplined, so I plan everything,” she explained.
“Swimming was extremely regimented, especially on race days and competition days, when we were required to adhere to minute-by-minute timelines.
“I believe that the disciplined, regimented nature of swimming has helped me maintain a balance between my studies and my reading.”
Now she will be attending the Big DoG Festival of Children’s Literature at Moat Brae in Dumfries, the location attributed with inspiring J.M. Barrie to write Peter Pan.
Not a scholar
She believes that her book will captivate readers like her younger self.
“I wasn’t necessarily an avid reader, but once I discovered a book I liked, I devoured it,” she explained.
The librarian at my secondary school would confirm that I was not a scholar.
However, Ellie stated that a passion for sports did not preclude reading enjoyment.
“It is not an accurate portrayal of today’s students and society; you can be interested in both sports and literature,” she said.
So perhaps the Paralympics and the literary realms are not so distant after all.
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