HALESOWEN athlete Maddie Down got her GCSE results less than two weeks ago and now she's roaring into Paralympic finals.

The 16-year-old stormed to a personal best of 12.93s in the heats of the women's T38 100m to qualify for a maiden final at Paris 2024.

Down eventually finished eighth overall in the final, unable to reach her top form once more at the Stade de France but took great confidence from the experience ahead of what is shaping up to be a memorable athletics career.

Down said: "I came into the Games wanting to make the final and I did.

"It feels pretty cool and a bit surreal. " "It was against such a great category, and everyone was amazing so to just qualify for the final was amazing and a dream come true.

"I know now that I can do it.

"Coming in at 16, I've just finished my GCSEs but it's been a great experience and I'm still not done yet so we will just have to see what happens."

And the GCSEs went about as well as her Paralympics debut according to Down.

She added: "They went alright, I got what I needed which was really good."

The teenager will return to the Stade de France on Thursday (September 5) for the women's long jump.

It's an event she won Commonwealth Youth Games gold in last summer just months after she fractured her back, unable to jump until mere weeks before she headed out to Trinidad and Tobago to compete.

But with one Paralympic final already under her belt, Down revealed that she's taking the same approach this time round and is ready to see what happens with plenty of experience still to come.

She said: "I think I'm going to go into it with an open mind and whatever happens on the day.

"You can't control what others do so I'm just going to see what happens."