Aspiring Paralympian, Kayleigh Haggo, shares the significant role Parasport festivals had on her sporting journey.
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice
Kayleigh Haggo is an elite Para athlete that has competed on the international stage in both Para athletics (RaceRunning) and boccia. With World and European titles in RaceRunning under her belt, she’s now hoping to represent Team GB playing boccia, at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris.
Her sporting career all started with one of Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) Parasport Festival. She attended the West of Scotland Parasport festival when she was 14 years-old, during her first year of secondary school.
Kayleigh’s exclusion for participating in sport at school was a key factor in her attending the Parasport Festival. “When I was at school I wasn’t really included in P.E (physical education). The P.E teachers didn’t really know with my disability, how to include me in sessions”.
The West of Scotland’s annual Parasport festival soon became a yearly highlight for Kayleigh. She said, “When the Parasport festival came around every year and the school took me to it, it was one of the best days”.
Kayleigh really appreciated the opportunity to socialise with other young people at the Parasport festival and attended a total of five, throughout her time at secondary school.
What was important to Kayleigh was, “meeting up with people my age who also had cerebral palsy and understood what having cerebral palsy means”.
Once on her sporting journey, Kayleigh was a natural athlete and it wasn’t long until she competed in frame running on the international stage. Despite this international success, she continued to attend the Parasport festivals.
She said: “It was nice to just go to the Parasport festival and just have fun with it. It was never too serious or anything so that’s why I liked it so much.”
Nevertheless, she always aspired to do her very best. “I’m very competitive. I wanted to do every sport to the highest level when I was at the Parasport festivals”.
Kayleigh is now a full-time athlete and proud member of Boccia UK. She’s recently returned from a training camp in South Korea, where she trained alongside the hosts and the sport’s current world leaders.
Although Kayleigh is now a competent boccia player, it wasn’t love at first sight.
“I played boccia at the first (Parasport) festival I ever attended. I really didn’t enjoy it at all”. Laughing, she said: “The irony of it, now I am competing for Great Britain in boccia”.
It was also at the Parasport festivals where she first met Claire Morrison, her current Boccia UK coach. Together, Claire and Kayleigh hope to be selected for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
“It would be a dream come true. Ever since I started sport at the age of 12, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” said Kayleigh.
“Unfortunately, although I got to the highest level with frame running, this isn’t a Paralympic event so I couldn’t really take that any further but with boccia, I really have the opportunity to take that and compete at the Paralympic Games”, commented Kayleigh.
Like so many others, the London 2012 Paralympics had a lasting impact on Kayleigh. After watching some sport live in London with her mum, she remembered thinking: “That’s what I want to do. I want to be an athlete. I want to compete at the Paralympics”.
Kayleigh is a great example of how SDS’ Parasport festivals can provide a pathway to elite sport.
Kayleigh would recommend the Parasport festivals to anyone who has the opportunity to attend: “If you get the chance to attend the Parasport festival, I would definitely say go for it. It’s a brilliant opportunity to try new sports and meet new people”.
There’s still time to register for most of the remaining Parasport festivals in 2024. You can sign up for the West of Scotland’s Parasport Festival here. To register for all other Parasport festivals, visit here.
Watch below, Kayleigh Haggo being crowned the first ever women’s 100m RR3 RaceRunning world champion. (Dubai 2019, World Para Athletics World Championships.)