Following an outstanding season that saw her break World and European records, triple World Para-Athletics Championships medallist Sammi Kinghorn added to her accolades as she lifted the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy as 2017 Scottish Sportsperson of the Year, at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards in Edinburgh on Thursday.

With a host of sporting stars, including medallists from the recent Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in attendance, the evening was an inspirational celebration of their outstanding achievements, as well as the success of individuals, schools, clubs and teams across the whole of Scottish sport.

The first para-sport athlete to take the top award of Scottish Sportsperson of the Year in its 15 year history, Sammi’s name joins past winners such as Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Andy Murray and Dame Katherine Grainger on the trophy. After missing the podium at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, the past year has seen Sammi on a phenomenal rise to the top of her sport, securing her first global titles. An inspiring culmination of her journey since the accident which left her paralysed at the age of 14, she broke her own World record to take gold over 200m at the World Para-Athletics Championships in London, going on to take a second gold in the 100m and bronze in the 400m. Since then her focus has turned to the road, coming second in her debut half marathon at the Great North Run, in a bid to gain selection for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the marathon as well as the T53/54 1500m on the track.

Sammi said: “When you see yourself up against great athletes like Danii Joyce and Gordon Reid, you don’t expect to win. It’s amazing to even be thought of as one of the best para-sport athletes in Scotland but to actually win is incredible and then to win Scottish Sportsperson of the Year as well, that’s something I never thought of. To hold the trophy and Andy Murray’s name is on it and all the greats of Scottish sport, knowing that your name is going to be there too is really special.

“I don’t think there’s been a para athlete that’s won it in the past, so be to be the first is pretty cool. It means the world to me to have my family and friends here tonight. To have the people there who have stood by you through all the hard times and all the good times, and to know that they’ll always be there for you, that’s really special.”

There was additional success for Scottish Disability Sport on the evening with Richard Brickley MBE named as Volunteer of the Year for his work in disability sport at a local and national level. Richard received his award from rugby legend Gavin Hastings OBE and commenting on his award said; “Thank you to SDS and of course to everybody in Disability Sport Fife and our partners whom I have the privilege of working with throughout the year. We have a very special organisation populated by very special people and supported by many great agencies”.

Sammi’s success came on a superb night for Athletics with double European Indoor Champion Laura Muir named Female Athlete of the Year and her coach Andy Young lifting the Coach of the Year award. Scottish Athletics also took the award for Sport Governing Body of the Year for the second year in succession, with record numbers selected for the World Championships, 120,000 athletes competing in permit events and great strides made in inclusion, propelling them to the title.

Duncan Scott’s gold and silver medal winning performances in the relays at the World Swimming Championships, along with magnificent swims for fourth and fifth place in his individual freestyle events, gave him the nod for Male Athlete of the Year over a strong shortlist which included 2016 winner Sir Andy Murray.

The Murray family did have an award winner however, with Judy Murray OBE named Team Scot of the Year in recognition of her relentless drive for equality in sport and an active lifestyle for all children. Behind the successful ‘Miss Hits’ and ‘She Rallies’ programmes to encourage female participation and leadership in Tennis, she is a powerful advocate for sport at all levels and the continuing need for investment.

There was a huge reception for boxer Josh Taylor, a popular winner of Sporting Moment of the Year, whose stunning win over the previously unbeaten Ohara Davies to defend his Commonwealth Title belt, was the moment that captured the heart of the nation and majority of the public vote.

Scotland’s leading points scorer of his generation, Rugby legend Gavin Hastings OBE was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of an outstanding playing career which saw him win 61 caps, including 20 as captain, and a wealth of charity and fundraising work since retirement from the international game. In contrast, just beginning his own career at 18 years old, World and European Junior Canoe Sprint champion Leuan James was the winner of the Sir Peter Heatly Trophy as Young Athlete of the Year.

The Scotland Women’s Football national side took Team of the Year reflecting their successful Euro 2017 qualifying campaign which saw them win seven of their eight games and take their place at their first ever major international championship. There was also a Special Recognition Award for Celtic Football Club following their historic season which saw them unbeaten in domestic competition, winning the fourth treble in their history and becoming the first team to go an entire Scottish top-flight league season without a defeat since 1899. Drumchapel Community Sports Hub and Active East’s Scottish Sports Futures took the Community Hub, Club or School and Games Legacy awards respectively.

There was also big news for golf fans, as Catriona Matthew MBE was announced as the European Team captain for the 2019 Solheim Cup.

Paul Bush OBE, Chair of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said: “Following the launch of these awards in their new format last year, tonight’s event has raised the bar once again, as we celebrate what has been a truly outstanding year for Scottish sport.

“A huge thank you to our partners and sponsors, whose support has made this fantastic event possible and enables us to properly recognise the achievements of the individuals, teams and organisations that help to put Scotland on the sporting map.

“Looking forward, the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games are now just five months away, where many of these athletes will be aiming for medals. I wish them all the best with their final preparations and I am quite sure we will be celebrating their achievements this time next year.”

Over 500 people joined the celebrations at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, where the evening was hosted by award winning TV presenter Hazel Irvine and comedian Fred MacAulay, with funds raised for the Scottish Commonwealth Games Youth Trust.

2017 AWARD WINNERS

• Scottish Sportsperson of the Year – Emirates Lonsdale Trophy: Sammi Kinghorn, Para-Athletics
• Male Athlete of the Year – sponsored by Brand Oath: Duncan Scott, Swimming
• Female Athlete of the Year – sponsored by The Scottish Sun: Laura Muir, Athletics
• Para-Sport Athlete of the Year – sponsored by CGI: Sammi Kinghorn, Para-Athletics
• Team of the Year – sponsored by PSL / Canterbury: Scotland Women’s Football
• Coach of the Year – sponsored by University of Stirling: Andy Young, Athletics
• Sporting Moment of the Year – sponsored by Glasgow 2018 European Championships: Josh Taylor defends his Commonwealth Title belt against England’s Ohara Davies
• Young Athlete of the Year – Sir Peter Heatly Trophy, sponsored by City Legacy Homes: Ieuan James, Canoe Sprint
• Volunteer of the Year – sponsored by Eden Mill: Richard Brickley MBE, Disability Sport
• Governing Body of the Year – sponsored by Edinburgh International Conference Centre: Scottish Athletics
• Community Hub, Club or School of the Year – sponsored by sportscotland: Drumchapel Community Sports Hub
• Games Legacy Award –sponsored by Legacy 2014 / City Legacy Homes: Active East – Scottish Sports Futures
• Lifetime Achievement – sponsored by Commonwealth Games Scotland: Gavin Hastings OBE, Rugby
• Team Scot of the Year – sponsored by Aberdeen Standard Investments: Judy Murray OBE, Tennis
• Special Recognition Award – sponsored by Commonwealth Games Scotland: Celtic Football Club

Paratriathlon made its Paralympic debut at the Rio Games in 2016, with the British team winning a whopping four medals.  British Triathlon are looking to build on that success at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and to do this are looking to find new and exciting Paralympic talent.

The Tri4Tokyo Talent Identification programme is on the hunt for athletes who will be able to challenge the best in Britain and, in time, the best in the World. Paratriathlon is a dynamic and demanding sport, with the successful athletes needing to be dedicated and hard working.

Full information can be found on the British Triathlon website here.

Scotland had 3 members in a team of 15 para trap shooters selected to represent Great Britain at the first Para-Trap World Cup held in Italy from 12 – 17 September 2017. Michael Drever is one of only two British men in the section for Para trap athletes with upper limb impairments. He was joined by fellow Scots Allan Ritchie and Keith Shields.

The event had 53 competitors from 14 countries spanning the globe, with particularly strong competition coming from the host country, Italy. In the face of tough opposition, the Scots had a strong showing with Michael finishing 10th in the PT3 Trap Men SG-U with a score of 84 and Keith finishing in 10th in the PT1 GPMQS Trap Men SG-S with a score of 80, hampered by eye problems on the day. However, the Scottish highlight was Allan Ritchie who tool silver in the PT1 GPMQS Trap Men SG-S with a score of 104, 2 behind the gold medal winner.

Oliver Barsby, COO of Scottish Target Shooting said, “Scottish Target Shooting is immensely proud of the Scottish athletes selected to be part of the Great Britain Team competing at the first Para Trap World Cup.”

For more information see the Scottish Target Shooting website here.

Japan hosted its first ever Para-Badminton event last week, bringing in the strongest competitors to an international event yet.

Scotland had three athletes competing in the event with SL3 players Colin Leslie and Alan Oliver as well as SL4 player Mary Wilson.

In the singles events, Colin and Mary came through their groups to the knock-out stages of the events, Colin losing out in the last 16 in a three-set battle to one of the Japanese home favourites and Mary losing in the quarter finals to German 1st seed.

In doubles events, all three of our competitors were with different partners and in the strongest tournament to date the boys were unlucky to reach the knock-out stages.

Mary secured a bronze with Chinese partner Hefang Cheng after coming through their group in second place. They went on to beat the Japanese second seeds in the quarter finals with an astonishing three-set win: 21-16 16-21 27-25. In the semi-final, they were edged out by 1st seeds from Germany and Norway – 20-22 21-17 21-19 – in another close battle.

In the SL3-SU5 mixed doubles event all three competitors lost out in some very close and tough matches in their groups with none coming through to the knock-out stages.

Our players were also treated to the Yonex Legends Vision tour, where they were treated to an on-court demonstration and games with Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan, Peter Gade, Lee Yong Dae and Taufik Hidayat. Mary, after her success in the doubles, was given the opportunity to play some mixed doubles with Taufik Hidayat and the Danish pairing of Peter Gade and SU5 player Cathrine Rosengren.

With the announcement of the classifications for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games being made last week, the standard of Para-Badminton is only going to get much stronger and with limited places in each event it will be a fight to get those spots. Our players have seen and competed on the world’s best stage and must continue to work hard towards the goal of competing in Tokyo in three years’ time.

Congratulations to GB Paralympian Derek Rae from Kirkcaldy and Fife AC who ran a personal best time at the Stirling 10K. Derek’s time of 32.33 is a PB by 7 seconds.

Derek is coached by Ron Morrison at Fife AC and the Stirling 10K is one of three events identified by Ron for Derek in a five week racing block. Weather conditions were particularly challenging in Stirling which makes the time all the more impressive. Derek is already looking forward to event number two in Glasgow.

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

Great Britain’s Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid and Andy Lapthorne all added doubles titles to their growing collections of Grand Slam wins on a sensational day of wheelchair tennis action at the US Open in New York that also saw both Hewett and Lapthorne reach their respective singles finals.

Hewett and Reid were looking to follow up their doubles success at Wimbledon against the pair they had defeated at SW19, top seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France.  The quartet have developed quite a rivalry within the game, with the Brits having won both of their last two Wimbledon final encounters, but the French prevailing at both Roland Garros this year and the Rio Paralympics final last year.

In the event however, a performance featuring lots of energy and creative play from the British pair proved too much for the French on this occasion, with Hewett and Reid claiming a straight sets 7-5, 6-4 victory in less than two hours.  It is a title Reid was defending from 2015 and is the Paralympic gold medallist’s ninth career Grand Slam crown, while it is a fourth for US Open debutant Hewett.

Speaking after the match, Scotland’s Reid said “I felt like we played a really composed match and we deserved to win today”, with Hewett adding thanks to Reid and saying “It’s my first US Open and I’m loving every minute of it!”

What makes the win even more remarkable is what had come before it.  The day had started with world No.3 Hewett and world No.2 Reid battling it out in a truly epic all-British men’s singles semi-final that enthralled the watching crowd for over three hours.  It was an encounter full of drama and momentum swings with 19 year old Hewett racing into a 3-0 lead in the first set, before Reid hit back to lead 5-3 with Hewett serving to stay in the set.  Hewett then reeled off four games in a row to take the first set.  He looked to be on course to claim a place in Sunday’s final as he led throughout the second, but he failed to convert three match points at 5-3 and Reid bounced back to force a decider.

It then looked to be Reid who would claim a place in his first US Open singles final as he led 4-0 in the third set and had two match points when leading 5-3, but he too failed to convert the opportunity and the marathon match went to a tiebreak.

In the breaker, Hewett saved three match points, starting at 6-4, before failing to take two of his own at 7-6 and 8-7.  The classic match came to an end as Norfolk’s Hewett took the win 10-8 to set up a final against Houdet, who defeated Argentina’s world No.1 Gustavo Fernandez in the other singles semi-final.

Watching courtside at Flushing Meadow, Tennis Foundation Executive Director Geoff Newton emphasised the outstanding quality that had been on display, commenting “This was one of the finest tennis matches I have seen –a great credit to both players and to our sport. Well done to both Alfie and Gordon”.

Following on from New York, the world’s best tennis players will be showcasing their skills in the UK at the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters at Loughborough University from 29 November – 3 December in what is the culmination of the 2017 season. To find out more and secure your tickets to see the drama unfold live visitwww.wheelchairtennismasters.com.

All of the British players in action in the wheelchair tennis at Flushing Meadow are part of the Tennis Foundation’s world class performance programme.  The Tennis Foundation is Great Britain’s leading tennis charity with a vision to make tennis a sport which is inclusive and accessible to all. It works to open up tennis to its priority audiences of disabled people, young people in education and in lower socio-economic communities – making it possible for them to enjoy the many health and social benefits of the sport whilst maximising their personal potential.

There is already a record number of disabled people playing tennis across the Tennis Foundation’s network of venues, but the success of the likes of Hewett, Reid and Lapthorne on the world stage is used by the Tennis Foundation as a platform to both raise the profile of tennis as a sport for disabled people and encourage even more disabled people to pick up racket and give tennis a go.

To find out more about disability tennis and find your neatest session visit www.tennisfoundation.org.uk, or get in touch via info@tennisfoundation.org.uk.

All photos courtesy of the Tennis Foundation

The sun was shining for bowlers in Aberdeen for the 2017 National Lawn Bowls Championships.  SDS returned to Westburn Park, Aberdeen for another successful Championships. The picturesque park in the heart of the Granite City has been the home of the Championships for almost thirty years now and as ever Sport Aberdeen proved to be excellent hosts. SDS were delighted to welcome the Depute Lord Provost of Aberdeen Allan Donnelly to present the trophies to the winners and the Chair of Sport Aberdeen Colin Taylor who attended to support the bowlers. Sport Aberdeen have been ideal partners over the years for this event and their commitment to disability sport in the area is clear with their unstinting support of this event.

Conditions were ideal as players from all over Scotland descended on the three-green club. Particularly pleasing was the presence of new bowlers at the Championships from the Scottish Borders, Angus and Perth & Kinross. Steve Key – a bowls player from Perth & Kinross – made his first appearance a memorable one by securing the title for players in a wheelchair. Steve defeated the highly decorated former champion Rosemary Lenton (Dumfries & Galloway) in the final by 9 points to 6. Four-time champion Billy Allan from Fife and his fellow Commonwealth Games squad member Mike Nicoll (Scottish Borders) in the final of Section 4 by 11 points to 5 to claim the Dewars trophy for the fifth time and may have the peerless David Heddle’s eight-title records in his cross-hairs.

Sections 1 & 7 were combined and four bowler competed for this title with the experienced Carole Martin from Lothian emerging victorious on this occasion defeating Grampian’s Katherine Hardie in the final to the loss of no points and claim her first national title in the competition.

The Thomas Taylor trophy was contested by bowlers from three branches with 2016 winner Tracy Black from Forth Valley, Fife’s Mary Wilson, Barbara McMillan, Maria Spencer and Sam Smeaton expected to be all competing strongly for the 2017 edition. In an extraordinarily close group Sam Smeaton qualified for the final on shot difference as the players all secured one win apiece. Mary Wilson repeated her 2016 performance by finishing runner-up to her stable-mate Sam by 7 points to 4.

The closest section of all proved to be Section 6 where local bowler Ali Burt and Lothian’s Richard Morrison were the clear group winners who then faced off in the final. Last year’s champion Fraser Mathieson had to withdraw prior to the vent with an injured back and this meant a new name was destined for the trophy. IN an intensely competitive match Ali Burt sent the local home happy with a 6-5 win over the Lothian bowler.

Fife’s strength in the bowlers with a learning disability section came to the fore again with both titles heading back down the coast to the kingdom. Craig Donaldson added to his 4 titles with against Phillip Hendry from Highland in a comfortable 14-6 win. Wendy Thomson joined Billy Allan as the only bowlers to defend their titles in 2017 by beating Lothian’s Amanda Craig in the Section 9 final and lift the Jessie Buchan cup.

SDS congratulates all winners on their achievements and are already looking forward to next year’s championships.

SDS is indebted once again to the support offered in staging the championships by Aberdeen City Council and Sport Aberdeen.

23-year-old Martin Perry from Paisley attended mainstream school and was fully included within mainstream PE lessons. He was signposted by an Active Schools co-ordinator to Scottish Disability Sport’s summer sports camp, where he was introduced to the world of disability sport. The rest is history for Martin.

Since then, Martin has achieved in many areas of his life, including coaching qualifications, university, and is training with a focus on selection for Tokyo 2020.

Watch the sportscotland video below to get more information on Martin’s story, and if you would like to find out about disability sport opportunities in your area contact us on 0131 317 1130 or admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com.