Scottish Disability Sport: Reflections on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
The Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 did not disappoint as the event proved to be both hugely inspirational and successful.
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) wish to congratulate ParalympicsGB on the tremendous performances at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and we hope to see more people with a disability feeling inspired to take up sport as we head into the Tokyo 2020 cycle. Well done to all the athletes, players and support staff who proved they are amongst the very best performance athletes in the world. There were many outstanding results, incredible role models and remarkable stories played out during the past 11 days. A full list of results can be found at www.rio2016.com/en or www.paralympics.org.uk
ParalympicsGB will return from Rio with 64 gold medals, which equates to 12% of all gold medals
awarded and the best performance since Tel Aviv in 1968. The total medal count of 147 is the highest return from a British team since the Paralympic Games in Seoul in 1988. The exceptional performances of the athletes ensured that the 121 medal target set by UK Sport was comfortably surpassed as ParalympicsGB finished second in the medal table behind China.
A Scottish Perspective
SDS pays tribute to the 33 Scottish athletes that competed for ParalympicsGB across 12 sports, all of whom made a significant contribution to the overall success of the team, ensuring that the GB team are amongst the world’s elite in para sport. Scottish athletes and players on the ParalympicsGB team can be immensely proud of their contribution as they will return home with a total of seventeen medals which were won by eleven athletes across five sports. Notably 33% of Scots on ParalympicsGB reached the podium! The medal haul includes five gold, eight silver and four bronze medals, accounting for 11.5% of ParalympicGB medals won. This is the highest medal tally for Scots at a Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000.
The table shows the performance of each of the five sports:
| Rio 2016 Paralympic Games: Scottish Medal Table | ||||
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | TOTAL |
| Athletics | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Cycling | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Para triathlon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swimming | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Wheelchair Tennis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 5 | 8 | 4 | 17 |
Scottish Medal Winners
Gold
Libby Clegg (Athletics): T11 100m
Libby Clegg (Athletics): T11 200m
Jo Butterfield (Athletics): F51 Club Throw
Karen Darke (Cycling): H1-2-3 Time Trial
Gordon Reid (Wheelchair Tennis): Open Singles
Silver
Stef Reid (Athletics): T44 Long Jump
Maria Lyle (Athletics): T35 4x100m relay
Neil Fachie (Cycling): B 1000m Time Trial
Alison Patrick / Hazel Smith (Guide) (Para Triathlon): PT5
Scott Quin (Swimming): SB14 100m Breaststroke
Abby Kane (Swimming): S13 100m Backstroke
Andrew Mullen (Swimming): S5 50m Backstroke
Gordon Reid (Wheelchair Tennis): Open Doubles
Bronze
Maria Lyle (Athletics): T35 100m
Maria Lyle (Athletics): T35 200m
Andrew Mullen (Swimming): S5 200m Freestyle
Andre Mullen (Swimming): S5 100m Freestyle
For a full list of Scottish results please click here.
Once again the Scots excelled on the Paralympic stage whilst making a significant contribution to the medal tally of ParalympicsGB, with eleven Scots reaching the podium. These athletes produced many memorable highlights over the course of the Games however, the double gold from Libby Clegg in the T11 100m and 200m stands out; as does Gordon Reid’s gold and silver medals in the wheelchair tennis singles and doubles respectively. Maria Lyle (athletics) and Andrew Mullen (swimming) won the most medals with three apiece, whilst ParalympicsGB’s youngest competitor Abby Kane, aged 13, won silver in the S13 100m Backstroke!
There were many inspirational moments throughout the course of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and SDS congratulate all of our athletes and support staff.
Any person with a disability who has been inspired by events in Rio should contact SDS on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com.
In addition, local and regional contacts can be accessed on the following links:
SDS Branches:
https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/about-sds/branch-contacts/
Regional Development Managers:
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