Ellie Challis and Louise Fiddes both became Paralympic champion for the first time in the space of another amazing hour at La Defense Arena for Britain's swimmers.
The close friends and Paralympic village flatmates boosted their room to the tune of two gold medals in style, with Challis surging clear to dominate the Women's S3 50m Backstroke race and Fiddes then triumphing in a supremely tight Women's SB14 100m Breaststroke showpiece.
Olivia Newman-Baronius was eighth in that same final, while Harry Stewart's first outing in a Paralympic final saw place fifth after setting a new personal best on the day in the Men's SB14 100m Breaststroke.
Opening the session, Challis upgraded her sprint backstroke silver from Tokyo to add to her world and European titles in the event by claiming victory in the final of the S3 50m Backstroke contest. Ellie always looked good for the win after ranking more than four seconds clear of the field in the heats - and her supreme stroke rate soon took her clear by the halfway point of the finale, holding on to that pace all the way to the wall to set a new S3 British record of 53.56 and pick up the gold medal.
"Honestly, that is such a dream come true. I really tried not to get ahead of myself coming into the event, I was four seconds ahead of everyone coming in and into tonight, but I knew that a race is a race, it's not over until you touch the wall," said the 20-year-old.
"It was all about keeping myself calm, keeping myself in the race and not thinking I had it already, because I really didn't, anything could happen. I managed to do that and I was really confident I could swim faster than I did this morning, and that's what I did - and then whether I got second, third, fourth, I'd have been happy. But wow, it's nice to come out first!
"It's joy, relief, happiness, a bit of everything really! This is what we all dream of and this is the goal for everyone getting into elite sport, and to accomplish that at 20 years old, I can't put it into words.
![Ellie Challis podium wave S3 50m Backstroke GOLD Paris 2024](https://www.aquaticsgb.com/media/images/GettyImages-2169919445.width-800.jpg)
"I am just so thankful for my dad, my sisters and my coach for everything they have helped me with to get here. It's an unbelievable day, an unbelievable moment and I can't wait to share this all with them."
Challis' final was on in the call room as Fiddes prepared for her Women's SB14 100m Breaststroke final. As inspiration goes, it was not bad - and Fiddes duly delivered in her race as she put together a superb two lengths of breaststroke swimming against, among others, Brazilian twins Debora and Beatriz Borges Carneiro.
Fiddes was locked in a tussle with Debora Borges as part of the front two at halfway, turning second but moving into the lead before the 75m mark. There was competition across the pool as the contest progressed, with Australia's Paige Leonhardt also part of the conversation.
But Louise held her stroke rate and technique all the way to the wall, dropping each competitor behind her as she held strong for a memorable gold.
"I genuinely can't even believe it. It means everything - there were so many years where I felt like my dream was slipping away, and only in the last year have I felt like I've been getting back to it," she said.
"I'm in great shape. I have to thank my coach at home for that. It's just pure determination, I came off that turn, had a little glance and thought, 'I'm in gold medal position, I need to get down that other end now!'
"I was on the edge of my seat with Ellie's race, even though she won it by a mile, queen! I was like, 'if she can do it, I can do it, roomies!' In Tokyo, we both got silver, and we've both got gold here now."
In that same race, Paralympic debutant Newman-Baronius was part of another final, placing eighth.
Meanwhile, Harry Stewart - another of the Games first-timers - played his part in an enthralling Men's SB14 100m Breaststroke finale in coming fifth. He clocked a new PB of 1:05.69 in the heats and was nearly on the same time when he came back in the evening to show his class on this world stage, three months from becoming European champion on his senior international debut.
![Louise Fiddes shock SB14 100m Breaststroke GOLD Paris 2024](https://www.aquaticsgb.com/media/images/GettyImages-2169908676.width-800.jpg)
"I'm all right, it's mixed emotions. I'm happy to get in the final, fifth in the world isn't too bad. I wish I'd got a slightly better time, but in the heat of the moment, the nerves may have got over me a little bit - but I'm happy with that swim. It was anyone's race, going in we were all so close. I tried to go in as relaxed as possible, but you're always going to have nerves, you're not human if you don't but everyone raced brilliantly," he said.
"It's been a hectic year, a long year, but I appreciate every moment and I'm very happy to be here. I'd love to go to LA, I'm going to keep working hard each year and then hopefully I can get there as well."