Shelby Watson was in action in the Paralympic Meet in Barcelona and was in superb form, too. In fact, the young Scot won both her races at 100m and 200m to once again confirm her potential.

The T33 wheelchair racer already holds five World Records and set two of them in the same event in Spain last year.

Scotland’s Sammi Kinghorn left her opponents in her wake to set a 200m T53 World Record at Mesa, Arizona. The Rio Paralympian, 21, raced home in 28.67 seconds to knock a remarkable 0.26 seconds off the record set by US racer Jessica Galli five years ago.

It was a superb performance by the wheelchair racer from the Borders who is coached by Ian Mirfin.

Kinghorn, who won 200m T53 bronze at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, demonstrated that she will be a force to be reckoned with at the World Para Athletics Championships in London later this summer with that performance. She also led from the front to win the 800m in 1.52.05. By the end of the meet, Sammi had five gold medals to her name with wins in a further three events.

She took the 100m in 16.63 which was into a headwind and only 100th outside her own European record. In the 1500m, Sammi won a tactical race against T54 athletes in 3.35.53, opening up a four-second gap in the last 200m. Her 55.32 time in the 400m was only five hundredths outside her own European record.

Sammi then moved on to compete at the Daniela Jutzeler Meet in Arbon, Switzerland, where she was once again in superb form. The young Scot set a 100m European record with a win in 16.21 and that time was just 0.02 outside the World Record and the second fastest of all time in her classification. Then, in the 400m, Sammi set another European record of 53.72 in second place in the race for the second fastest of all time (and inside the previous WR).

Sammi can’t stop setting records at the moment and she clocked another European best in the T53 800m in 1.47.60 at the Swiss Champs with a great performance.

That followed victories in Arbon again, when the Paralympian won the 100m T53/T54 overall in 16.38 and 400m T53/T54 overall in 54.08. She finished third in the T53/T54 1500m heat in a new Scottish record of 3.26.35.

There were also PBs for young Scots athletes Luke Deighan, Sean Frame and Kyle Brotherton at this event.

Many congratulations to Sammi, her family and coach Ian Mirfin, on a really strong start to the season ahead of London.

Injury has ruled Libby Clegg out of the World Para Athletics Championships in London this summer. Unfortunately, double Rio sprint champion Libby sustained a calf injury earlier this week and will not recover in time for July.

Alongside her guide runner, Chris Clarke, Clegg secured great success in 2016, winning the T11 100m and 200m titles at the Paralympic Games in Rio and setting world records in both events.

‘It is with a mixture of emotions that I have to announce that due to injury, I will be unable to compete at this year’s World Para Athletics Championships in London,’ said the 27-year-old Scot, a gold medallist at Glasgow 2014.

‘I sustained a calf injury during a training session this week and have been advised by the medical team at British Athletics that it will be impossible for me to recover in time for the championships.

‘I am still going through the various emotions of disappointment and frustration as despite the setback of my guide runner, Chris, picking up an Achilles injury earlier this year, I felt training was going really well and couldn’t wait to return to London as double Paralympic Champion.’

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) is the recognised governing body for para bowls in Scotland and is preparing for the 8 Nations & Para Sport Event at Broadbeach Bowls Club in Australia from the 3 – 7 June 2017.  This event is essential in the qualification process for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

A team of ten players and four directors have been selected to represent Scotland in the Mixed Pair B2/B3 and Open Triple B6/B7/B8 events and these players will be supported by four coaches.  Scotland will have two teams competing across both disciplines.  The players will be tested further at the subsequent training camp that has been arranged at Musgrave Hill Bowls Club, which is also on the Gold Coast.

Commenting on the event, SDS Performance Manager Gary Fraser said:

“SDS are delighted to announce a strong field of players to compete at the Gold Coast Para-Sport Lawn Bowls Competition.  Selection decisions were extremely difficult but we feel the group has a good blend of youth, experience and a strong sense of team unity, which is vital for the pairs and triples disciplines. We look forward to the event with great enthusiasm and are confident that the players can put in the performances required. They have worked extremely hard over the past two months, competing in various competitions, to reach this stage.”

Scottish Disability Sport will travel to Gold Coast with Bowls Scotland’s High Performance Squad, which will provide a great opportunity for the full squad to blend ahead of the Commonwealth Games in April next year.

Open Triples B6/B7/B8

Mixed Pair B2/B3

Directors

Coaches

Paisley’s Martin Perry delivered a Bronze medal in the Class 6 Team event at the 2017 World Para Team Championships in Slovakia.  Perry, along with team mates, Paul Karabardak and David Wetherill reached the semi-final stages, eventually losing to Croatia.

This is another milestone for the Drumchapel Table Tennis Club pupil and more information can be found on the British Table Tennis Association for the Disabled website:
http://www.bttad.org/

Rio Paralympic gold medallist and reigning Wimbledon champion Gordon Reid made history again on Sunday, becoming the first Brit to win the men’s singles title at the Japan Open in Iizuka to cement his return to the top of the wheelchair tennis world rankings.

Reid will become world No.1 for the third time when this week’s rankings are published after winning his second title at Super Series level, the top tier of wheelchair tennis tournament outside of the Grand Slams.

The 25-year-old beat world No. 5 Nicolas Peifer of France 7-6(3), 6-1 in Sunday’s final, which was Reid’s second in Iizuka after also finishing runner-up in 2015.

After defeating world No. 8 Maikel Scheffers in the quarter-finals, second seed Reid made it back-to back victories over former Japan Open champions when he beat Argentina’s world No. 4 Gustavo Fernandez in the semi-finals. Reid beat Fernandez 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to reach one of three finals in Iizuka for players on the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis World Class Programme.

The British No.1 went into this year’s Japan Open just 30 points behind Stephane Houdet of France at the top of the rankings. But securing his place in the semi-finals for the second straight year proved to be the key result for Reid’s return to world No.1, as Peifer beat defending champion Houdet in the other semi-final before Reid signed off in style with victory in Sunday’s final.

“I’m very happy to be coming home with the title and regaining my place at the top of the singles rankings,” said Reid, who also partnered Alfie Hewett to their third Super Series doubles final of 2017 before they finished runners-up to top seeds Houdet and Peifer.

“This is my first Japan Open title and only my second Super Series title, so it’s one I am very proud of. I felt I improved my level throughout the week and produced my best tennis at the important points in the final to clinch the match.

“My performances in Japan have given me a good confidence boost looking ahead to the summer Grand Slams.”

Reid first became world No.1 after winning September’s historic all-British men’s singles gold medal match against Hewett at the Rio Paralympics.

He remained at the top for three weeks and then regained the position in December when beating Houdet in his penultimate match of the season, in the semi-finals of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters in London.

Reid therefore became the first Brit to earn the men’s singles year-end world No. 1 ranking and become ITF Wheelchair Tennis World Champion. Reid is due to receive his ITF World Champion’s award in Paris next month.

Photo courtesy of the Tennis Foundation