Sport
Swimming

Hometown
Broxburn, West Lothian

Born
14/04/63

Coach
Kerry Wood

Big Jim has been a lifetime member of the Splash Club in Broxburn and is one of the most successful GB swimmers ever. Jim is a six times Paralympian between 1992 and 2012 and has won a staggering total of 57 medals at Paralympic Games, World or European Championships and held numerous world records over different distances.

Jim’s Paralympic record is exceptional. 17 medals in six successive Paralympic Games starting back in 1992, including 6 gold. His record in World Championships is equally impressive over the period 1994 until 2010. 18 medals in total, including 9 gold. In European championships between 1991 and 2011 Jim has won a total of 22 medals including 11 gold. Jim is recognised internationally as one of the leading swimmers with a severe physical disability.

Within sport for swimmers with cerebral palsy he is a legend. Claire Balding of the BBC once used the title “Jim the Swim” to describe the big man, and the term is now used worldwide. Jim dominated the S2 class for many years and performed successfully at the highest level for 20 years. Jim has received every possible accolade in sport in recognition of his achievements, including the OBE.

Big Jim is a real family man and has been supported throughout his competitive career by his mum and dad, John and Brenda. Jim has an older brother Stuart and two nieces Pauline and Judith who live in Inverurie. Jim is very proud of his nieces. Jim is an active member of the Congregational Board of Broxburn Parish Church and is involved in social and fund raising activities. The Anderson family have bought a mobile in Tayport, and return to the Kingdom of Fife to relax as often as possible.

Jim is the only disabled sports person to be voted Scottish Sports Personality of the year following his success in Athens. J im is very much a man for the big occasion. He has taken short and long course world records apart in his efforts to win medals. Jim is currently a member of Stirling SC and is coached by Kerry Wood (nee Martin). Jim trains five days per week at the University of Stirling and London 2012 was his sixth successive Paralympic Games.

Jim Muirhead is Scotland’s most successful visually impaired male Paralympian. Jim won 5 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals at the Games in Toronto in 1976 through to the Games in New York in 1984. Both Jim’s parents were good swimmers and he claims his sister Lindsey was a better swimmer than him but didn’t like competing. Family members encouraged his involvement in competitive swimming throughout his career and he joined Belmont swimming club in Dundee age 10.

Jim had worn glasses since he was 5 and in 1966, aged 13, had an operation to repair a detached retina and was told not to compete or dive or play contact sports. Gradually however he became involved in more sports and in 1968 the retina detached again. After an unsuccessful operation he lost all sight in his right eye. Jim became more engrossed in swim training, committing 5 nights per week to his ambition of becoming an Olympic swimmer. In 1968/9 Jim was invited to join the pre-Olympic squad, concentrating on butterfly, freestyle and some back stroke but not breast stroke. The Munich Games of 1972 were his target. Sadly in 1970 age 17, an unsuccessful operation to cure glaucoma resulted in Jim losing his sight totally. Jim was unable to maintain his place in the Olympic squad and gave up swimming.

After a spell at the Royal Blind School and the Rehabilitation Centre in Ceres in Fife, Jim headed to London in 1972 to study to become a physiotherapist. Recreational swimming was followed by an introduction to BSAD swimming at Stoke Mandeville but as yet no training. In1974 age 21, based on his grounding in mainstream swimming, Jim competed in his first World Championships winning 5 gold medals (free style, backstroke and butterfly). These were the first pan disability World Championship in the disability sports movement and for his efforts he was awarded ‘Sports Personality of the Year 1974’
In 1975 Jim qualified as a physiotherapist, returned to Scotland in 1976 and started working in Dundee. Jim’s mum took on the duties as coach at morning training and soon after he headed back to Stoke Mandeville for Paralympic trials. Jim was selected for the 1976 Toronto Games winning 2 gold and 2 silver medals (gold 4×100 individual medley and 100 butterfly. Silver 100 freestyle and 100 back stroke)

In 1978 resigned from his job in Dundee and was out of work for 9 months. He then travelled to the USA on his own for three months which resulted in about two years out of swimming. In 1979 Jim trained harder than ever and even applied for a couple of American universities, but was not accepted because they did not have the facilities for a blind athlete. Jim’s ambition was to study more physiotherapy and train in the USA. In 1979 he headed back to London to work at Greenwich hospital, mainly due to the close proximity of the 50 metre pool at Crystal Palace. He joined an inclusive training group at the ‘Saxon Crown swimming club’ and spent two and half hours every day in the pool training.

Aged 27 Jim was selected for the Paralympic Games in Arnhem and once again contributed to the Team GB total with golds in 100 Freestyle and 100 backstroke and silvers for 100 butterfly and 4×100 individual medley. Following six months out of training Jim returned to the Saxon Crown Club for the 1984 Paralympic Games in New York and ended his illustrious career with gold for 100 butterfly, silver for 100 freestyle and three bronze-medals for medley, back stroke and 400 metres freestyle.

No Scottish male visually impaired swimmer before or since has come anywhere near matching the performances of the great Jim Muirhead. As a competitor he was outstanding and as an opponent he was highly respected. Jim was an outstanding ambassador for Scotland and Great Britain and he was one of a number of great Scots who put Scotland on the international disability swimming map in the 70s and early 80s.

Born Isabel Barr in Glasgow, Isabel was raised in Renfrewshire. As a young girl she swam competitively but in her late teens her spinal cord was damaged by a virus and she lost the use of her limbs. In 1975, she joined the Port Glasgow Otters Swimming Club as part of her rehabilitation programme and was eventually drawn to the attention of Britain’s paraplegic swimming team. As with so many other great Otters swimmers she was hugely influenced by coach Peter Stanton.

Isabel made her Paralympic debut in Arnhem in the Netherlands in 1980 and went on to compete at seven Games, in events as diverse as swimming, discus and shooting. In Arnhem she won three gold medals and a silver medal in the pool. It was common at one time for the top disabled athletes to compete across sports but now athletes specialise in the same way as their mainstream colleagues.

At the Paralympic Games in 1984 at Stoke Mandeville she won 9 medals across her three selected sports, a remarkable achievement for a spinal injured athlete from one of the classes for the most severely physically disabled Paralympians. Preparing for training and competition for somebody like Isabel with such severe mobility difficulties was a major challenge at a time when swimming pool access was nothing like it is today. She was a trailblazer for women and athletes with a severe physical disability.
Due to health challenges she dropped out of competitive swimming and in 1988 was selected for the Seoul Paralympics in athletics and shooting. Four medals were won by Isabel for Team GB and a pattern was set that took this outstanding competitor through to the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004, scene of possibly her finest hour. It is for her skill in air-pistol shooting she is best remembered. In this event she won three Paralympic gold medals (1996, 2000 and 2004) and a bronze (1988), together with World gold (1990 and 2002) and silver medals (1994 and 1998). She set a new world-record score in Sydney in 2000.

Isabel Newstead MBE sadly passed away in 2007 following illness but had she remained in good health she would have been similarly competitive in Beijing. Scotland has produced many fine disabled sportsmen and women and many have gone on to be successful Paralympians. Wheelchair sport is the longest established and the most competitive in terms of global appeal and numbers involved. Isabel was at the top for over two decades and was a great ambassador for Scotland. She was an outstanding role model and an inspiration to up and coming athletes and players across sports. Isabel was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honour’s list of 2001. Isabel was the first high performance disabled athlete to be inducted into the Scottish hall of Fame. Isabel died in Harlow (Essex) in 2007.

Frank was first introduced to the sport of curling at age 12 on a frozen pond in Falkland in Fife. When he was 35 years of age he had an accident at work which left him paralysed and dependant on a wheelchair for everyday mobility.

When wheelchair curling was introduced to Scotland, Frank embraced it with great enthusiasm. Prior to his accident he was a very skilful curler and had hopes of representative honours. Following his accident it was obvious he had retained great knowledge of the tactics of the game. During his life he was totally committed to his sport and travelled extensively as both a competitor and a tutor.

In January 2005 Frank was awarded the International Paralympic Committee award for “Athlete of the Month”. This is one of the most prestigious honours in international sport and the winner is judged against fellow athletes from all sports across the international community. This was not only a great honour for Frank and those closest to him, but also Scottish curling.

Frank excelled as the skip of Scottish and British teams that in a short period of time achieved so much at International level. His first World Championship involvement in 2002 resulted in a bronze medal in Switzerland for the Scottish team. In 2003, on home soil, he won silver at the International Bonspiel. A return to Switzerland in 2004 brought Scotland’s first World Championship title. This was followed up by a magnificent retention of the title on home soil at the 2005 Championships at Braehead. His greatest achievement was as skip to the GB team that won silver at the Winter Paralympics in Torino.

Prior to leading the Scottish team to major honours Frank received the “Sportsmanship Award” at the World Championships of 2002 and the Bonspiel of 2003. Frank was highly respected by his fellow players, coaches and volunteers alike. Frank was a wonderful ambassador for the sport and led teams well and contributed so much to the development of the sport both nationally and internationally. Frank retired from competitive curling in 2006 and became actively involved in the development of the sport thereafter until his untimely death in 2010.

David Heddle set the standard in outdoor and indoor bowls in Scotland for successive generations of performance bowlers with a physical disability. David was the only Scottish disabled bowler to win gold medals at a Paralympic and Commonwealth Games.

The little man from Fraserburgh was known in bowls circles throughout Scotland and in every game he played, he performed with passion, determination and no shortage of skill. David was the SDS Lawn Bowls singles Champion 12 times between 1990 and 2002 and throughout his career was rarely defeated on the short carpet. His influence on the development of bowls for physically disabled players in Scotland is unique and has been long lasting.

David was the last Scottish international bowler to win a gold medal in a Paralympic Games on the last occasion that bowls was included in the Paralympic Games programme. The city was Atlanta in 1996 and there was no more deserving gold medalist at the time because he was in his very best form. The playing surface was particularly challenging for all players but David in true northern spirit led from the front and inspired other British bowlers to outstanding performances.

Sadly bowls never appeared on the Paralympic programme after Atlanta but when a mens triple for physically disabled bowlers was included in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, David was an automatic pick and he did not disappoint. On a rainy Manchester day, in front of the First Minister and many enthusiastic spectators, David led the Scottish triple to a para – sport gold medal in the most challenging of conditions. In World Championships David similarly played his part and during his life there was no more respected bowler at national and international level than the man from Fraserburgh. The respect he commanded in mainstream bowls was exceptional and paved the way for much

of the inclusive opportunities in the sport that are the norm of the present.
Sadly David passed away in 2006 prior to the IBD World Championships in Australia but two years after receiving the MBE at Holyrood alongside his beloved wife Joey. He was unable to team up in Australia with the small squad of Scots who had been influenced by him during his career at the top. David Heddle’s contribution to disability bowls has been exceptional and long lasting and has set the standard that successive Scots have aspired to over the last decade. David was voted SDS Sports Person of the Year in 2003 and has a street in Fraserburgh named after him.

Colin was educated at Queen Anne HS in Dunfermline and introduced to Disability Sport Fife by school support staff. Colin first made his mark as a swimmer, like so many other young disabled sports people, but it was clear early on that his international future lay in track athletics. During the 80s he was the outstanding T36 sprinter in the world and won 5 gold and 1 silver medals at the Paralympic Games in New York and Seoul.

Colin raised the standard in his class during his time at the top and became a hugely respected international athlete. He was an excellent cross country runner and medalled at Paralympic, World and European level. Colin was the leading T36 athlete on the track during the 80s and he was instrumental in raising standards in the class during his relatively short but illustrious career.

Colin was the first DSF member to be coached in a mainstream athletics club. Fife AC must be congratulated for its vision and for adopting the inclusion model before it been identified as the way forward. Coach Eric Simpson was the inclusive coach who provided outstanding support for Colin during his decade as the lead athlete in his class in the world.

Colin’s impairment was cerebral palsy but he had secondary sensory challenges of deafness, epilepsy and absence of speech. These challenges were worked through by athlete and coach with massive support from Colin’s late father Bill. The support offered by his family throughout his competition years was exceptional and critical to his success. Colin’s outstanding achievements came in 400 metres but he also excelled in the shorter sprints. Memorable images from New York and Seoul will always be his tenacious cross country successes. Colin was an automatic Scotland and GB pick during the 80s. During his career Colin had many outstanding races against his GB team mate from Bishopbriggs Gordon Robertson. For a period they were ranked numbers one and two in the world in the T36 class.

In Colin Keay and Caroline Baird, Fife and Scotland produced the two most talented and exciting T36 sprinters of the 80s and 90s. Each was introduced to Disability Sport Fife as a school pupil by family or school support staff. Each started out in swimming and most importantly very early on in their careers pursued an inclusive pathway with guidance from two excellent inclusive coaches. Both athletes broke down many barriers and gained the respect of everybody in Fife athletics and Scottish Athletics in general at the time.

Caroline (nee Innes) was a pupil at Bell Baxter High School in Fife and began her sporting career as a swimmer with Cupar and District Swimming Club. Caroline’s early coaching was provided by her local swimming club. Fife AC then helped to launch her career as one of the outstanding British sprinters of all time.

Introduced to disability sport by Disability Sport Fife, Caroline’s first representative honour came as a member of the Scottish Junior Squad that competed in the British Junior Swimming Championships at Stoke Mandeville. She was encouraged to try athletics and very quickly it was evident this was where she would excel. Caroline’s first major representative honour came as a member of the Scottish Youth Team that travelled to the World Games in Miami in 1989. It was obvious at that event she had international potential as a sprinter. Caroline launched herself into sprint training thereafter and athletics quickly became a way of life. Major representative honours then followed.

Caroline won 5 Paralympic medals of which 4 were gold. Her first Paralympic selection was Barcelona in 1992 and she returned with a gold medal. Further honours and medals followed in Atlanta and Sydney. She also won gold at the World Championships in Berlin in ’94 and Birmingham in ’98. For over a decade Caroline was recognised as the world’s leading sprinter in the T36 Class. She achieved times and set standards that had never been envisaged for a T36 athlete with cerebral palsy.
Caroline was a true superstar of women’s athletics. She pushed the boundaries and raised the standards in her class under the guidance of coach, John Oulton. Caroline was an incredibly determined athlete who challenged perceptions and broke down so many barriers in sprinting for athletes with cerebral palsy. Scottish Athletics and Scottish Disability Sport recognised her contribution to disability athletics by awarding her major accolades and awards. Caroline, husband John, and her two daughters live in Carnoustie. Caroline still serves as a member of the Disability Sport Fife management group and is a past Chieftan of Cupar Highland Games.

Barbara Howie made a major impact in her first Paralympic Games in West Germany in 1972 where she set a world record. She is Scotland’s most successful wheelchair track athletics Paralympian and in Germany she won three gold medals in her first Games. Her medals included a very competitive slalom gold, demonstrating that at world level her chair handling skills were exceptional.

In the Games of 1976 in Toronto she followed up her impressive debut with another sprints gold medal and world record to add to her collection. Barbara’s final Paralympic Games were in the Netherlands in 1980 where she won her fifth Paralympic medal, which on this occasion was silver. Barabara had an illustrious Paralympic career as a top class international sprinter, following on from the success of fellow Scottish Paraplegic Association member Val Robertson. Barbara was highly competitive, very skilled and a great servant to British and Scottish athletics. Sadly Barbara just missed out on all the technological changes that made such an impact on the sport in the years after she retired.

Barabara continued her involvement in athletics in Scotland as a Scottish Athletics official and was regularly present at major meets in Meadowbank in particular. Her major competition as an official was the Commonwealth Games in 1986 in Edinburgh. Barbara was always willing to pass on her skills and knowledge to up and coming athletes. Part of her legacy will undoubtedly be of a great athlete turned official who was prepared to share her skills and experience with others in the sport she loved so dearly.

During the early days of the development of disability sport in Scotland, members of the Scottish Paraplegic Association played a very important role. In addition to her athletics ventures Barbara contributed to the development of wheelchair athletics in and around the Edinburgh area and encouraged and supported many spinal injured participants to take up the sport. Edinburgh was the first base of disability sport in Scotland. The office of the Scottish Paraplegic Association was the base for the late Bob Mitchell and current SDS Vice President Jean Stone. Disability sport in Scotland owes so much to those great athletes and volunteers of those early years.