Sammi Kinghorn wins her third silver medal in Paris whilst there’s victory in wheelchair basketball for Robyn Love and Jodie Waite
By Bethany Lee
Sammi Kinghorn has won a silver medal in the women’s 400m T53 final, bringing her medal tally to an impressive four medals (one gold, three silvers) in Paris.
The Scot sped down the track to secure second place with a time of 53.45.
Following her silver performance, she said: “I’m absolutely buzzing, four from four, you can’t be disappointed with that. It was a good race and I’m happy with the time as Catherine’s (Debrunner) PB is about two and a half seconds faster than mine so she was always going to be quick. I wanted to make sure that the silver was well and truly mine and I’ve done that.”
It’s fair to say that the Scot was riding a high from her golden performance in Wednesday’s 100m T53 race. She said: “I was still lying awake at 3am last night just buzzing with myself so this is great. I slept in until half 10 though. Last night was incredible for me, knowing that I had one last chance to come out and enjoy it.”
It was the final event of a very successful Paralympics for Sammi with the Melrose star adding her Paris medals to her Tokyo 2020 Games 400m silver, solidifying her legacy as an elite Para athlete.
Reflecting on the Games, the 28-yer-old, said: “I’ve done a lot better than I thought I would coming in. I did hope that I could come away with medals from each of my four events. The 1500m was a surprise, I probably could get fourth or squeeze a bronze in that so it’s been a complete shock. And to win that gold last night was a real shock. This has been my best Games by far.”
In other Para athletics news, Glasgow’s Melanie Woods competed in the women’s 400m T54 track, qualifying in third place in the heats.
The fast-paced final saw the Scot finish sixth after a tight race with just 2.50 seconds between first and last place.
Following the final, Melanie said: “I’m a little bit disappointed with the time but realistically in a field like that, it’s probably a good finish. When I look back, I’ll see it as a respectable finish.”
“I think I’m in PB shape and I was ready to take chunks off my time, it just didn’t come out of me today. It’s a mix of weather and a week of racing in my arms. But all things considered, I’m pretty proud.”
Reflecting on her experience in Paris, the 30-year-old, said: “I started the week with some huge personal bests. I then changed my expectations, I raised the bar for myself, but these girls are getting faster every year so I need to do the same. It’s a mixture of feeling proud you’re getting better but knowing I need to chase these girls down and close the gap. I definitely think I have a lot more to give.”
Meanwhile on the basketball court, ParalympicsGB’s women’s wheelchair basketball team also met victory. Scottish players Robyn Love and Jodie Waite, alongside their teammates, skilfully dominated the game against Japan, with a 67-55 win.
The win gives the team the chance to compete for fifth place on Saturday in Paris.
Scottish athletes were also seen in action in today’s Para swimming events.
First up was the newly crowned fly Paralympic champion, Faye Rogers. Faye continued to show her athleticism by securing a third place in the women’s 400m freestyle S10 heats, gaining her a spot in her second Paralympic final.
Despite giving it her all, the podium was just out of reach for Faye. She clocked a time of 4:41.50, to place fifth.
She said: “It’s really nice to see the class is getting more competitive, it’s looking really good. I couldn’t be prouder to swim in a race that competitive, it’s insane, and it’s making me faster. I’m a little bit disappointed with the time, I’ve been training a lot better than that, but you can’t change it and I gave it my all.”
The University of Aberdeen student has already emerged victorious from her first ever Paralympic games, gaining a gold medal in the women’s 100m S10 butterfly on Tuesday.
Faye’s will next compete in the women’s 200m individual medley SM10.
Looking towards her final event in Paris, she said: “I’m quite excited for it, I’ve been doing a lot of work on my weaker two strokes. It’s an interesting one for me as I do really struggle with breaststroke, I have never been good at it, so my race often doesn’t look like everyone else’s. but I really enjoy racing it and I’m going in third seed, so I’d love to come out with a medal but all I can do is my best.”
The second Scottish Para swimmer of the day, Toni Shaw, competed in the women’s 200m individual medley SM9.
A highly competitive heat saw Toni neck-and-neck with three other swimmers battling for the second-place spot. They couldn’t keep up with the Scottish star though as she pushed herself into second, sending her through to her third final in Paris.
Despite fighting hard in a tight race, Toni lost out on a medal by just 0.24 seconds and had to settle for fourth. A tough final defeat for the 21-year-old, who finished fifth and eighth in her other Paris events.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics runs from the 28th August – 8th September. You can follow all the action and find out how the 21 Scottish Para athletes get on by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website. You can catch all the action on Channel 4. More information here.