FIVE-TIME Paralympic medallist Stephanie Millward hailed the inspirational atmosphere of the London Aquatics Centre as she continued her comeback from illness at Sunday’s National Paralympic Day meet.

The competition was held in front of a packed crowd in the Olympic Park, roaring on Great Britain to victory over a Rest of the World team.

Box swimmer Millward finished second and third in the S9 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle respectively, but was delighted with her execution within the race.

“Both of my races here were really just about getting inspired and enjoying the event, but obviously I wanted to swim as fast as I can as well,” she said.

“I wanted to get all my technical parts right that I’ve been training really hard at. I did exactly what I wanted to do: I got a nice dive away in my freestyle race, a really quick turn, and kicked off well, so it was a perfect race for what I wanted.”

The 33-year-old swam in the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, making three finals, before claiming four silvers and a bronze at London 2012.

After a virus stopped her from gaining selection for the 2015 IPC World Championships in Glasgow, Millward is now fully focused on getting back to her best for next year’s Paralympics.

“The Paralympics next year are a possibility, but just imagine if I made it to Rio. It would make all the early morning training swims worth it,” she said. “It would be a dream come true."

National Paralympic Day is generously supported by Spirit of 2012. Find out more at paralympics.org.uk/npd2015.