Roberts splashes in to match Tanni's record.

SWIMMER David Roberts was today facing a battle to add to his Beijing bounty of four gold medals after Great Britain's men's 4x100 metres medley relay team squeezed through to tonight's Paralympics final at the National Aquatics Center.

The 28-year-old from Pontypridd won his 11thParalympic gold in the men's S7 50m freestyle last night to equal Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson's haul.

However, Roberts faces a difficult task to add his fifth gold of the Games after he and team-mates Sean Fraser, Sam Hynd and Graham Edmunds qualified seventh fastest for the men's 34-point medley relay with a time of four minutes 34.17 seconds.

Roberts went into the final of the men's S7 50m freestyle looking to equal Grey-Thompson's record of 11 Paralympic titles.

The race turned out to be one of the closest that Roberts has won with fellow Paralympics GB swimmer Matt Walker chasing him all the way.

In the end, Roberts won by almost a second as he touched in 27.95 to win his 11th gold medal.

"This is the speech I love to give," Roberts said. "I have achieved something very few people have and I have equalled the record of Tanni Grey-Thompson and that is unbelievable. I can go into tomorrow without any pressure and just enjoy myself."

Great Britain's youngest Paralympian Eleanor Simmonds won her second gold.

Simmonds, 13, who has Achondroplasia (dwarfism), added the women's S6 400 metres freestyle title to the 100mcrownshe secured earlier in the week as she smashed her own world record by almost seven seconds to win the 400min five minutes, 41.34 seconds.

Swansea-based Simmonds said she had nothing to lose in her favourite event, adding: "I already had a gold medal, so anything else was a bonus.

"I went in there to do a PB personal best and see what would happen. I didn't really expect the first gold medal and to win this one is great."

In doing so Simmonds set a new personal best - the former world record - stood at 5mins 48.26secs and she was surprised to break it by such a large margin.

"I was just going in there to break it a bit, but seven seconds is just amazing," she added.

"I knew I could do what I could do, but I didn't know I could do it that fast. I gave it my all and I was really tired getting out of the pool. I just wanted to know I hadd one my best and I am ecstatic with my second gold medal."

Nyree Lewis and Mhairi Love finished sixth and seventh, respectively, behind Simmonds.

Lewis was the team's golden girl after winning on the women's S6 100mbackstroke on her birthday four years ago in Athens.

CAPTION(S):

DELIGHT: David Roberts does 'the Ayatollah' after equalling Tanni Grey-Thompson's record