ALICE Tai capped off a phenomenal Paralympics with a bronze medal in the S8 100m butterfly.

The Barton on Sea swimmer flew out the blocks in the first 50m, extending a healthy lead over her nearest competitors Jessica Long and Viktoriia Ishchiulova.

After a searing 31.8second first half of the race, Tai still held a lead with 25m to go, but she began to tire in the final metres.

In the final 5m, she was overtaken by both Long and Ishchiulova, but managed to cling on to the bronze medal ahead of compatriot Brock Whiston.

The bronze medal means Poole-born Tai finishes the Paralympics with a medal in every event she competed in.

(Image: ParalympicsGB/PA Wire)

She takes home two gold medals, a silver and two bronze medals, her golds coming in the 50m freestyle and the 100m backstroke.

Tai told Channel Four after the race that the last five metres were ‘rough’.

“In the end when Jess went past me, I was like I know the other girls are going to be close and I was just clinging on for dear life, so I am happy with the bronze in that,” the 25-year-old said.

“I thought I was going to come sixth in the last five metres and everyone was going to overtake me.

“I think I maybe went out a little too fast!”

(Image: ParalympicsGB/PA Wire)

On her opening 50m, she said her coach had told her to ‘just feel the water’.

“On fly, that normally ends up with me going pretty fast, pretty flowy,” Tai said.

“But I think the week has just caught up with me a bit.

“I would have loved to go sub-one minute ten again but it just wasn’t the right time. I swum it the best I could.

“I thought I would be disappointed if I didn’t win but I was so far off that I am happy with bronze.

“I know I can go faster than that, and there’s a lot to work on next season.”

(Image: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)

Reflecting on the week as a whole after she secured her fifth medal, Tai said she was definitely proud of all she had achieved.

“I literally said before the race that part of me kind of wants to just stop and not do the final because I have done so well the rest of the week and I’m so proud of myself, I want to end on a high, I don’t want to do a swim that I know I can go faster than or be upset because I missed out on a medal,” she said.

“But now I’m in the situation I’m glad I swam it, I’m really happy with the bronze.

“I literally left everything in that pool, I don’t know how I even made it to the finish in those last five metres.

“I was watching it back after my race with Jess and it was literally the last five, and then I just stopped.

“I don’t think I’m beating myself up about it.”

But Tai said she was tired after a big volume week with all the warm ups, swim downs and the races.

“I also think maybe I could have handled the emotions after the 50 free a bit better, it was such a shock that I think I was a bit manic, but I’m allowing myself to let that one slip,” Tai said.

“I’ll take it, I’m not particularly happy with the time but I gave it my all.

“I’m excited for next season, definitely need to do a bit more fly endurance, I think.”