Tag: paralympic games

Photo of Faye Rogers smiling and holding her gold medal on the podium

Golden Debut: A Recap of Faye Rogers First Paralympic Games

The Para swimmer left Paris with a gold medal in her first ever Paralympic games, three years after her accident.

By Bethany Lee

21-year-old Faye Rogers can now call herself a Paralympic champion after winning gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (28 August – 8 September).

The University of Aberdeen student had her crowing moment in the women’s 100m Butterfly S10. The race was incredibly tight, with Faye swimming beside ParalympicsGB teammate Callie-Ann Warrington.

The pair were neck-and-neck until Faye pushed into the lead, grabbing the gold with a time of 1:05.84, a slender 0.57 seconds ahead of her teammate.

Photo of Faye Rogers and her teammate Callie-Ann Warrington, swimming side by side in the final of the 100m butterfly S10.
Photo credit: ParalympicsGB

The thrilling conclusion to the intense race left Faye in shock. Looking back on her golden moment, she said: “You know when you see people celebrating in the pool, I didn’t. I knew I’d won, but it didn’t sink in, and then I got out of the pool and I was like woah I’ve just won, it kind of hit me late.”

When asked how it felt to win, she added: “To be honest there was a lot of relief in there, I was quite nervous going into it. I think the best feeling was being on the podium. I could see my family and I was trying really hard not to just look at my mum and cry. I honestly can’t put into words how amazing that feeling is.”

Photo of Faye leaning on the swimming lane ropes and smiling after her race
Photo credit: ParalympicsGB

As well as winning gold, Faye made it to two other Paralympic finals, finishing 5th in both the women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 with a time of 2:33.90 and the women’s 400m Freestyle S10 with a time of 4:41.50.

She also competed in the women’s 100m Freestyle S10, finishing second in the swim-offs by just 0.06 seconds.

Looking back as the Games came to a close, Faye said: “This week has just been crazy, it’s still not sunk in yet. It’s just been the most surreal week.”

Photo of Faye Rogers smiling and holding her gold medal on the podium
Photo credit: ParalympicsGB

The University of Aberdeen student had already drawn attention after her international debut at the 2023 World Championships, taking home three medals including a gold in the 100m  Butterfly S10. She was also named Para Swimming Emerging Athlete of the Year in 2023 by British Swimming.

The star swimmer has been competing since the age of nine and took part in the Olympic trails in 2021 in London. Shortly after, she was involved in a car accident and told she’d never race competitively again.

Now, she is a world champion, a European record holder and, almost exactly three years after her accident, a Paralympic gold medallist.

Going forward, Faye hopes to compete for Scotland in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will be on home soil (or water!). Faye was born in Durham but trains and is based in Aberdeen where she is studying biochemistry with the hopes of becoming a doctor.

In case you missed any of the Paris 2024 Paralympic action, you can find all the daily reviews and highlights on the SDS website, here.

To keep up to date on all things disability sport across Scotland, make sure to follow SDS on Facebook, X and Instagram and the SDS website.

Montage of all the Scottish medallists at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Medal Moments at the Paris 2024 Paralympics

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have come to an end. Here are all the mighty medal-winning moments from Scotland’s Para athletes in the French capital.

By Bethany Lee

Sunday saw the grand finale of an incredible Paralympics, with Great Britain winning a total of 124 medals and finishing second behind the People’s Republic of China.

Scots made up 9.8% of the ParalympicsGB team and brought home a total of 20 medals, including 11 golds, 8 silvers, and 1 bronze.

The Scottish athletes competed in 10 different sports and gave some unforgettable performances.

So, here are all of the medals won by ParalympicsGB’s Scottish athletes at this year’s Paris 2024 Paralympics!

Key: WR – World Record; PR – Paralympic Record; PGB – Paralympic Games Best; ER (AR) – European Record (Area Record); SR – Scottish Record; PB – Personal Best.

 

Para Swimming

The Scots were giving it their all in the pool, with the Borders’ Stephen Clegg, Glasgow’s Louis Lawlor, Aberdeen’s Toni Shaw, and University of Aberdeen student Faye Rogers all competing. Stephen and Faye delivered standout performances, gaining 3 golds for ParalympicsGB.

Gold – Stephen Clegg – Men’s 100m Backstroke S12 – Time of 59.02 (WR) – Day 3

Gold – Stephen Clegg – Men’s 100m Butterfly S10 – Time of 57.49 – Day 10

Gold – Faye Rogers – Women’s 100m Butterfly S10 – Time of 1:05.84 – Day 6

 

Para Cycling

On the track and road, Strathpeffer’s Fin Graham and Aberdeen’s Neil Fachie sped to the podium whilst Forth Valley’s Jenny Holl piloted partner Sophie Unwim to four medal victories. None of the cycling Scots came home empty handed.

Gold – Jenny Holl (Pilot for Sophie Unwin) – Women’s B 3000m Individual Pursuit – Time of 3:17.643 (WR) – Day 4

Gold – Jenny Holl (Pilot for Sophie Unwim) – Women’s B Road Race – Time of 2:37:26 – Day 9

Gold – Fin Graham – Men’s C1-3 Road Race – Time of 1:43:19 – Day 10

Silver – Fin Graham – Men’s C3 3000m Individual Pursuit – Time of 3:22.540 – Day 2

Silver – Neil Fachie (With Pilot Matthew Rotherham) – Men’s B 1000m Time Trial – Time of 59.312 – Day 4

Silver – Jenny Holl (Pilot for Sophie Unwim) – Women’s B Individual Time Trial – Time of 39:39.118 – Day 7

Bronze – Jenny Holl (Pilot for Sophie Unwim) – Women’s B 1000m Time Trial – Time of 1:07.719 – Day 2

 

Para Athletics

It was a busy tournament for the Scots on the track. The Borders’ Samantha Kinghorn MBE, Fife’s Ben Sandilands, and Glasgow’s Melanie Woods all fought hard in their races. Sammi had a particularly special games, collecting a total of five medals to better her medal tally from the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Gold – Ben Sandilands – Men’s 1500m T20 – Time of 3:45.20 (WR & PR) – Day 9

Gold – Sammi Kinghorn – Women’s 100m T53 – Time of 15.64 (PR) – Day 7

Silver – Sammi Kinghorn – Women’s 800m T53 – Time of 1:42.96 – Day 4

Silver – Sammi Kinghorn – Women’s 1500m T54 – Time of 3:16.01 – Day 5

Silver – Sammi Kinghorn – Women’s 400m T53 – Time of 53.45 – Day 8

Silver – Sammi Kinghorn (with Zach Shaw, Jonnie Peacock, and Ali Smith) – 4x100m Universal Relay – Time of 46.01 (ER, AR) – Day 9

 

Boccia

Three Scottish athletes took to the court for some boccia action in Paris: Edinburgh’s Patrick Wilson, Ayrshire’s Kayleigh Haggo, and Hamilton’s Stephen McGuire. Stephen left with his first Paralympic medal – a glorious gold in the inaugural event for his category.

Gold – Stephen McGuire – Men’s Individual BC4 – Win of 8-5 – Day 5

 

Para Archery

Lothian star Nathan Macqueen represented Scotland in Para Archery, winning gold with teammate Jodie Grinham.

Gold – Nathan Macqueen – Mixed Team Compound Open – Win of 155-151 – Day 5

 

Wheelchair Tennis

The tennis court was on fire this Paralympics with some exciting action, including a wonderful doubles win from Glasgow’s Gorden Reid.

Gold – Gorden Reid (with Alfie Hewett) – Men’s Doubles – Win of 2-0 (6-2, 6-1) – Day 9

 

Para Canoe

And finally, in Para canoe, Hope Gordon was the only Scottish athlete to compete. She did us proud, bringing home a shiny silver for ParalympicsGB.

Silver – Hope Gordon – Women’s Va’a Single 200m VL3 – Time of 56.59 – Day 10

 

A very successful Paralympics overall for our Scottish athletes.

Fin Graham cycles across the finish line to win the men's road race. He punches his fist in the air

Double Gold Glory for the Scots on Day 10 in Paris 

On the penultimate day of the Games, the Scottish athletes bagged another three medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.  

By Lauren Cameron

On Saturday (7th), Fin Graham and Stephen Clegg found the top of the podium whilst Hope Gordon secured a silver to help bring Scotland’s medal tally to 20.  

Scottish rider, Fin Graham, secured his first Paralympic gold of the Games on Saturday morning’s men’s C1-3 Road Race in Paris. 

The 24-year-old outsprinted home favourites Thomas Peyroton-Dartet and Alexandre Leaute (FRA), with an impressive time of 1:43:19.  

The Highland athlete described the win: “It is the pinnacle of our sport… Paralympic gold, nothing compares to it. That’s what we work towards every four years, to be able to come away with that is amazing.” 

Despite securing gold, Fin admits the race was not without its challenges. 

“The French made it hard because it was two against one the whole race.” He added: “I didn’t really know what their plan was because they were talking in French the whole race.” 

Describing the race, he added: “Alex [Leaute] led up the final climb and I thought that was his attempt to lead Thomas [Peyroton-Dartet] out. In the last couple of races I’ve managed to beat him in a sprint so I felt fairly confident.” 

Fin’s confidence paid off, earning him his first Paralympic gold ahead of the Peyroton-Léauté duo. He adds the gold to his one silver that won on the track (men’s C3 3000m Individual Pursuit).  
 

In the swimming finals, Stephen Clegg won his second Para swimming gold of Paris 2024 in the men’s100m Butterfly S12. 

Stephen, 28, the world record holder in the event, crossed the finish line with a time of 57:49. 

The win is Stephen’s second gold after a triumphant performance in the 100 Backstroke S12 earlier in the Games, cementing his status as a double Paralympic champion in Paris. 

According to the Lothian athlete, Saturday’s  win is just the beginning: “I’m always striving for more and better. Every result I have, I am evaluating how it’s gone as a performance rather than just the result”. 

Reflecting on his journey to the Paralympics, he adds: “This is a reward for the roll of the dice I took 10 years ago. A lot of people thought I was crazy when I came back and take a shot at being a Paralympic champion.” 

Stephen dedicates his win to his family and friends: “None of this happens without them. I owe them everything.” 

Faye Rogers was also in action in the pool, finishing fourth in the 200m Individual Medley SM10 final. Despite not reaching the podium in her final event in Paris, she did take the title on day six – winning gold in the women’s 100m butterfly S10 on her Paralympic Games debut.  

In 2021, Rogers was involved in a car accident and three years on, she is a Paralympic champion. 

On her time in Paris, she said: “It’s been the best experience of my life, amazing from start to finish. But I’m glad to be done.” 

“The biggest learning I’m taking away from this experience is how emotionally draining it is in the best way. That 100 fly gold medal was crazy and a high but then there are also some lows. I don’t think I appreciated that going in.” 

ParalympicsGB’s success on Saturday continued with Hope Gordon, who took silver in the women’s Canoe Va’a single 200m VL3. 

Hope, from Golspie, shared her thoughts from Saturday’s race:  “I didn’t have the perfect race but there is no one I would rather stand next to on the podium than Charlotte [Henshaw].”  

She added: “I train with Dave everyday and he is like a brother to me. This is his fifth Games and for him to finally get that medal, it was so special to watch.”  

“We were happy with whichever way round it went and we just wanted to get as many medals on the medal table for ParalympicsGB”, said Hope.  

Robyn Love and Jodie Waite were in action on the basketball court for the final time, as ParalympicsGB’s women’s wheelchair basketball team took on Germany in the 5-6 Playoff Game. The team finished with a strong win, 48-39, to end their Paralympic campaign in Paris with a fifth place finish.  

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.    

Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett with their gold medals on the podium. Gordon is kissing his.

Doubles Delight as Gordon Reid Becomes a Paralympic Champion Again 

Scotland’s wheelchair tennis hero completes a coveted golden career slam in Paris with Alfie Hewett  

By Paul Morrison

The unbridled joy was hard to hide for ParalympicsGB’s Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett as the pair fulfilled a career-long dream of winning the Paralympic title in the men’s wheelchair tennis doubles event on Friday (6th), day nine of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.  

Gordon and Alfie defeated the Japanese duo of Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki to achieve doubles gold at the third time of asking. 

As well as Paralympics champions, the Brits’ win also completes their remarkable career golden slam to establish their status as one of the greatest doubles partnerships of all time. 

The win gives Gordon his second Paralympic gold medal, adding to his singles title in Rio eight years ago, while Alfie added a silver medal in the singles as he was defeated by Oda in Saturday’s final. 

Undoubtedly the top match in wheelchair tennis doubles at the moment, Gordon and Alfie would have been confident in their chances as they defeated Oda and Miki in all three major finals this year. 

Once again, the Brits took no time to get going as they broke the Japanese pair to open the match, thanks to some astonishing winners at the net from Gordon, something that would become one of the match’s key points. 

As Oda and Miki then got themselves on the board after breaking Gordon’s serve, the Brits would hold their own in many highly competitive points to manage to give them the chance of securing the first set and completing the first step to winning gold. 

Taking the first set 6-2, Gordon and Alfie would only get stronger as they tallied off the first three games of the second set as the Japanese pair struggled to find any answer to get the upper hand. 

While Oda and Miki weren’t completely out of the match after breaking Alfie’s serve, the instant response was there for the Brits who broke straight back. Gordon then held his service game to make it 5-1, finding themselves one game away from the gold medal. 

A strong return game was produced from the Brits and an excellent drop shot from Alfie gave them the gold as the Roland Garros crowd at Phillippe-Chatrier witnessed a historic moment as the pair couldn’t stop the emotions getting the better of them. 

Gordon and Alfie’s win also saw the ParalympicsGB team surpass the 40 mark for gold medals won at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Shortly after the win, Gordon and Alfie would find themselves atop the podium as the medal ceremony began, with the British and Japanese pairs being joined by Spain’s Martin De La Puente and Daniel Caverzaschi, who won the bronze medal match on Suzanne-Lenglen. 

The prizing moment of receiving their gold medals and hearing the British national anthem saw the duo sport some wide and joyous smiles that spoke a thousand words of how they felt in this moment. 

Speaking after the match, Gordon tried to make some sense of the incredible moment, saying: “We finally did it, it’s ours. It feels amazing, even if it’s not fully sunk in yet, the emotions and adrenaline are still high.” 

Knowing that the win has banished the devastation of losing out in the gold medal matches from Tokyo (2020) and Rio (2026), he added: “We’ve been desperate for this for a long time, we’ve come close twice and felt that heartbreak and pain.” 

“Those matches have been some of the toughest moments of my career so to sit here with the gold around our necks is one of the best feelings.” 

Beginning to come to terms with the title they just achieved, he finally said: “Sometimes you need to feel some pain to enjoy the highs when they come, we need to really savour this moment.” 

For Alfie, he could only add a silver medal in the singles to his doubles gold with Gordon when he was pipped to the title by an inspired Oda 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 in a dramatic final to round off the brilliant wheelchair tennis events in Paris. 

The pair will take this victory into the last major tournament of the year as they look to add the Wheelchair Doubles Masters to their winnings this year in November. 

Well done Gordon and Alfie!

Ben Sandilands sprints towards the line to win the gold

Friday Night Delight as Ben Sandilands Smashes World Record in Paris on Debut Paralympic Games 

Three golds, one silver and a new World and Paralympic record were set on day nine of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.  

 Ben Sandilands won a sensational gold on his Paralympic debut in World and Paralympic record style.  

The athlete from Fife, coached by Steve Doig, left his opponents in the dust as he turned down the homestretch and sprinted to a new world’s best time in the men’s 1500m T20.  

On the win, Ben said: “It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve put in so much hard work and I want to thank my family and friends, and my coach Steve Doig. I knew I had the speed in me at the end from my training. The timing has to be perfect and I went for it, and the world record means a lot. It’s incredible.” 

Ben clocked a time of 3:45.20 to seal him the Paralympic title on his Games debut.  

Podium photo with Ben Sandilands (gold) standing next to silver and bronze medallists
Photo Credit: ParalympicsGB/David Pearce

Sammi Kinghorn also produced a podium performance alongside teammates Zach Shaw, Jonnie Peacock and Ali Smith in the 4x100m Universal Relay.  

The squad of four raced to a new European Record of 46.01, bettering their own record set in the earlier heat.  

Sammi said: “It’s so exciting. I’m glad I’ve done my individuals now and I can enjoy being part of a team. It’s really special being in the call room with everyone else. We had fun out there, went pretty fast and got a European record so pretty good.” 

Victory didn’t just belong to Ben, as Gordon Reid (with Alfie Hewett) finally got his hands on gold in the men’s wheelchair tennis doubles final.  

The duo won gold in fantastic fashion, comfortably defeating Japan’s Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda, 2-0 (6-2, 6-1). 

“We finally did it, it’s ours. It feels amazing, even if it’s not fully sunk in yet, the emotions and adrenaline are still high,” said the 32-year-old from Hellensburgh. 

“We’ve been desperate this for a long time, we’ve come close twice and felt that heartbreak and pain. Those matches have been some of the toughest moments of my career so sitting here with the gold around our necks is one of the best feelings. Sometimes you need to feel some pain to enjoy the highs when they come, we need to really savour this moment.” 

It was another medal in Paris for Jenny Holl, who piloted Sophie Unwin to an incredible gold in Para cycling (road).  

Jenny and Sophie tactically sat behind Irish silver medallists, Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Linda Kelly, right up until the final 500m. 

Jenny said, “It was just a case of all race make sure we’re still with them and if we were with them with 500m to go, we knew we would be pretty solid.”

The pair took the win by three seconds, clocking a time of 2:37:26 to claim the title in the women’s B road race.

Commenting on their performance in Paris, Jenny said:
“I think the main thing for us is we both know all the time that each of us is working as hard as we possibly can so we have that trust and its really nice to see it show in a set of medals at a Games.” 

In Para canoe, Hope Gordon won her heat to set a new Paralympic Games Best time of 58.25 in the women’s Va’a Single 200m – VL3. The win allows her to advance directly to the Final A race on Saturday (7th).  

Hope was unsuccessful in obtaining an automatic qualification place in the women’s Kayak Single 200m – KL3, final A race. Finishing second in her (with a time of 48.96) means that Hope will advance to the semifinal for another chance of qualifying.  

In Para swimming, Louis Lawlor was in action in the men’s 100m Backstroke S14. Louis swam a storming race in the morning’s heats, setting a new Scottish record with a time of 1:00.41 and a place in the Paralympic final.  

The final was packed and highly competitive, with the Scot finishing seventh.  

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.

Photo of Sammi Kinghorn on the podium. She is holding up her silver medal and the red Paralympic mascot

Sammi Kinghorn Strikes Silver Again, on Day 8 of the Paris 2024 Paralympics 

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. 

Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett hugging after winning their doubles match

Gordon Reid Gets a Shot at Gold in Doubles After Singles Exit

The Scottish tennis star can look back on a busy day with positivity despite a gutting loss in his singles match 

By Paul Morrison

A defeat in the singles quarter final this morning didn’t stop ParalympicsGB’s Gordon Reid from booking a spot in Friday’s doubles gold medal match today after a statement semi final victory with partner Alfie Hewitt. 

The Scot didn’t appear affected by his straight set loss to Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez as the top seeds in doubles took down French duo Stephane Houdet and Fredric Cattaneo. 

There is still British hope in the singles draw with Alfie going through to tomorrow’s semi final, while Gordon will have all his focus on Friday to win doubles gold for the first time at a Games. 

For the second time at the wheelchair tennis event in Paris, Gordon was involved in two matches on the same day, with his first contest coming in the morning on Roland Garros’ main court, Phillippe-Chatrier. 

Sharing a head-to-head that goes all the way back to their junior careers, Gordon and fourth seed Fernandez have faced off over 50 times, with the Argentinian having the slight advantage overall. 

It looked to be a thriller of a match after the 15-minute opening game that saw Fernandez keep his serve. However it turned out to be the closest game of the set as Gordon struggled to get up to speed while Fernandez took full advantage of the Scot’s slow start. 

Losing his first three service matches, Gordon was tasked with pulling off an almighty comeback following a 6-0 set where Fernandez showcased his quality, producing crushing winners that were unforgiving on Reid’s shaky performance. 

The second set proved to be much closer as both players traded blows, which saw a total of eight breaks of serve. Great shot making was clear to see from each side of the court as Gordon stepped his game up to a high level that tennis fans have been familiar with over the years. 

Forcing a tie-break, there was very little to split the two top 5 players, but despite some sensational skill from Gordon, he was unable to stop the Argentinian this time round as Fernandez only needed a single match point to secure his spot in tomorrow’s semi final with the 6-0, 7-6(5) triumph over the Scot. 

Fernandez had nothing short of total respect for his competitor and friend, saying: “I’ve known him (Gordon) since he was 14 and I was 13. We care for each other because it’s a long time since we’ve known each other. It’s nice. It’s a beautiful thing that tennis gives you.”

Later in the day, Gordon would get the chance to put the loss behind him in perfect fashion as he joined Alfie Hewitt to play for a spot in the doubles gold medal match, with the French pair of Houdet and Cattaneo the only obstacle in their way. 

One of the all-time greats in wheelchair tennis doubles, 53-year-old Houdet was himself aiming for a fourth doubles gold medal after winning in Beijing 2008, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. 

Denying Gordon and Alfie of gold in 2016 and 2020, the Brits looked to finally get the better of the Frenchman but were made to comeback from a break down in the opening game. 

It wasn’t long until the British duo were back ahead before both pairs were breaking each other for most of the first set. Gordon and Alfie found joy in targeting Cattaneo’s side of the court but struggled to find an answer to Houdet’s sharp hand skills with the racket. 

The winning count was proving the difference as Gordon and Alfie’s 12 point-winning strikes helped them take the first set over the French partners. 

The second set stayed on serve to make it 4-3 to the Brits before a blow was dealt for the French on Cattaneo’s serve that gave Gordon the opportunity to serve out the match. 

With some excellent point-constructing and world class shot making, Gordon starred to confirm their win with a neat drop shot as the ParalympicsGB men made it a third straight gold medal match at the Paralympic Games. 

With a strong win over a French pair cheered on by all corners of Suzanne-Lenglen, Gordon and Alfie are just one win away from accomplishing a first-time achievement for the British duo. 

Gordon will be back in action on Friday (6th) with Alfie on Phillippe-Chatrier to face the second seed Japanese pair of Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda in the men’s doubles final in what will be a must-see spectacle for British fans. Come on Gordon and Alfie! 

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.   

Photo of Sammi Kinghorn in her racing wheelchair holding the Union Jack flag and standing next to the official clock which shows her new Paralympic record time

Sammi Kinghorn Adds Gold to Her Collection Whilst Jenny Holl Completes Her Medal Set, at Paris 2024 

Sammi Kinghorn turns golden in Paralympic record style, on the seventh day of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.  

The 28-year-old can finally call herself a Paralympic champion at these Games, after an outstanding race in the women’s 100m T53. The Scot flew down the Para athletics track to clock a new Paralympic record time of 15.64 seconds. She adds this gold to the two silvers she’s already picked-up at the Stade-de-France.  

Para cycling waved goodbye to the velodrome and took to the roads on day seven. It was here that Jenny Holl piloted Sophie Unwin to a superb silver medal in the women’s B Individual Time Trial.  

The Irish team made up of Katie George-Dunlevy and pilot Linda Kelly got the better over the Brits, going quicker than Jenny and Sophie by 1:23.60 seconds.  

The silver completes the Paralympic medal set for the duo, after having taken gold and bronze earlier in Paris.  

The Scots were again in action in Para swimming, with both Stephen Clegg and Toni Shaw making their evening finals. 

The medals were just out of reach for Stephen who missed the podium by just over half a second, in the men’s 100m freestyle S12. He had to settle for fourth place behind the two Ukrainians and the Azerbaijan athletes.  The same result was repeated in the final of the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – 49 points, where Stephen represented the Scots in ParalympicsGB’s relay team. 

Toni Shaw couldn’t match the world record pace of Australia’s Alexa Leary, in the women’s 100m freestyle S9. The swimmer from Aberdeen gave a great effort in a packed final, to finish eighth in a time of 1:05.60.  

There was defeat and disappointment in the women’s wheelchair basketball, the boccia mixed team BC1/BC2 and the men’s wheelchair tennis singles, as all lost their quarterfinal matches.  

Robyn Love and Jodie Waite’s dream of a Paralympic medal were squashed after a thrilling quarterfinal against the USA. The USA took advantage of Great Britain’s missed opportunities in the final quarter to steal the win, 59-52. 

It was heartbreak in the boccia when Kayleigh Haggo, David Smith and Claire Taggart lost the tiebreak to Indonesia, which ended their Paralympic journey in Paris.  

Gordon Reid also failed to advance further in the men’s singles tournament, after a fiercely contested quarterfinal against Gustavo Fernandez. The Argentinian rallied to a 6-0, 7-6 win over the Scot. 

Gordon did find success in the men’s wheelchair tennis doubles though, where he and tennis partner Alfie Hewett beat the home favourites to advance to Friday’s gold medal game.  

The duo beat France’s Frederic Cattaneo and Stephane Houdet 6-4, 6-3, which means they will battle it out for gold against Japan’s Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda in two days time.  

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.

Gordon Reid playing wheelchair tennis. His eyes are following the tennis ball as it passes over the net

Gordon Reid Prevails with Alfie Hewitt in Entertaining Quarter Final Doubles Clash

The ParalympicsGB duo showed their class on the clay again with a straight set win to give them safe passage to the last four. 

By Paul Morrison 

There was more joy at Roland Garros this afternoon for Scotland’s Gordon Reid as he qualified for the men’s wheelchair tennis doubles semi final with teammate Alfie Hewitt. 

The pair were too good on the day for the Dutch duo of Ruben Spaargaren and Maarten Ter Hofte, getting the better of the seventh seeds 6-2, 6-1 on an atmospheric Suzanne-Lenglen. 

“It was really good. We came out firing right from the start, and we produced some of our best stuff at the beginning of the match”, said Gordon following the win. 

Gordon and Alfie will continue their charge in the doubles tomorrow afternoon in what promises to be a must-watch match against tricky opposition. 

The pair were once again off to a flying start as a quick break was followed by a strong service game from Gordon to hold an early advantage over the young Dutch players. 

Gordon and Alfie were experiencing more success with an aggressive approach to their play, which uncovered the cracks in Spaargaren and Ter Hofte’s game plan. This saw the Brits quickly find themselves 5-0 and giving the Scot a chance to serve for the set. 

Falling to complacent levels, the Dutch pair took the next two games where they won eight of the last 10 points at one stage. 

After regrouping well and finding their focus again, Alfie was able to serve out for a 6-2 lead and pushing the Brits halfway towards victory. 

The second set opened with a tense and engaging return game for Gordon and Alfie in a battle that went on for over 15 minutes that demonstrated a strong resilience from all players to rush and make every shot. This led to the Brits breaking which Gordon secured with a great showing on serve. 

The top seeds then slowly came through the next three games as winners with their effective attacking tactics, forcing the Dutch pair to overhit shots out of the court. 

In a repeat of the first set, Gordon was unable to serve the match out due to multiple errors as Spaargaren and Ter Hofte won a deserved game in the set. 

Any chance of a comeback was shut down right after though, with the victory being sealed on a fourth match point. An exciting match-up that was played in great spirits from all players proved to be a great contest for Gordon and Alfie. 

While the more experienced pair came out on top on the day, Spaargaren and Ter Hofte showed their quality and will carry on becoming a true force as a doubles team in years to come. 

“In the second set they raised their level and tested us a lot more. There were a lot of long games that we came out on top of, and it was a really good test going into the next match”, said Gordon. 

Gordon and Alfie will be back together tomorrow in the last four of the doubles event as they face the mission of getting passed the French pairing of Stephane Houdet and Frederic Cattaneo on Suzanne-Lenglen as the Brits will have their eye on avenging their losses in the gold medal match at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2016 Games at the hand of Houdet. 

“We’re just really excited to come up against them. It was one of our dreams before the tournament to come up against the local favourites. We’ve got big singles matches first in the morning to deal with, but once they’re over with, we’ll be ready to go”, commented Gordon. 

Gordon will have another busy day at Roland Garros as he is also first up on Phillippe-Chatrier to compete against Argentine maestro Gustavo Fernandez in the singles quarter final. 

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.

Faye Rogers on the podium with her gold medal.

The Medals Keep Coming as Scots Take Gold in the Pool and Silver on the Athletics Track on Day 6

Faye Rogers Wins Paralympic Gold on her Games Debut and it’s a Second Silver for Sammi in Paris. 

 

Faye Rogers produced a stunning swim in the pool on day six of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

The 21-year-old put in a terrific performance in the women’s 100m butterfly S10 to take the title of Paralympic champion on her Games debut.  

Faye made her intentions clear in the morning, when she clocked 1:05.92 in the heats – just 0.5 off her own European Record.  

Whilst the final was harder work, the Scot backed herself as she turned for the final 50m in second place behind teammate Callie-Ann Warrington. She edged ahead with 25m to go and touched the wall first with a time of 1:05.84.  

In 2021 she was involved in a car accident which squashed her Olympic dreams. Nearly three years to the day since that accident, she can now call herself a Paralympic champion.  

“It’s a big full circle moment and I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come. I couldn’t have asked for more from the last three years”, said Faye. 

She went on to say: “Coming into Para sport has been the best thing, I couldn’t be more grateful for this journey and I have learned so much about myself. I’ve started getting messages off people in similar situations and it makes me so proud and grateful that my experiences are helping other people. There are so many people who could benefit from Para sport, it’s just amazing.”

“There are always days it feels like it’s never going to get any better but it does. There’s always a way to adapt to stuff and overcome stuff. I’ve found over the last three years there’s nothing I can’t do, it might just look a little bit different, and that’s absolutely OK. It has been such a whirlwind and I couldn’t be happier.”

Meanwhile on the Para athletics track – Sammi Kinghorn stormed to silver in the women’s 1500m T54, to claim the first of the two medals won today (3rd).  

It’s a second silver for the Scot in Paris, adding to her 800m T53 medal won on Sunday 1st.  

“Who would have thought a sprinter would get a medal over 1500m, I certainly did not. I thought I’d be jostling for fourth, maybe squeeze a third”, said Sammi.  

The wheelchair racer clocked a time of 3:16.01 to seal the silver.  

The 28-year-old said: “I kinda got a bit disorientated and I stopped at 200m to go because I thought we were done – it’s so loud in here which we’re not used to. So I learned I need to count laps. But that noise is absolutely electric and I’m absolutely buzzing to come away with a medal.” 

Sammi continued to say, “You really just have to put yourself out there – there’s some strong, strong athletes in there. To beat Susanna [Scaroni, bronze medallist] has blown my mind and to be able to sit on the back wheel of Catherine is incredible.” 

Teammate Melanie Woods put in a superb effort in a packed final to finish eighth with a time of 3:23.37. The 30-year-old from Glasgow, sang her teammates praises after the race:  

“I train with Sammi so much throughout the year and to see her hard work turn into medals is so exciting and gives me hope that I can make the podium one day. It’s inspirational to see what she’s achieving out there.” 
 
Gordon Reid and partner Alfie Hewett came head-to-head with the Netherlands Ruben Spaargaren and Maarten Ter Hofte in the men’s wheelchair tennis doubles.  

Games were close and fiercely contested but Gordon and Alfie rallied through to secure the win, 6-2, 6-1.  

“We came out firing right from the start and we produced some of our best stuff at the beginning of the match. That settled us down early and in the second set they raised their level and tested us a lot more. There were a lot of long games that we came out on top of and it was a really good test going into the next match”, said Gordon.

Day seven will be particularly busy for the 32-year-old Scot as he will compete in both the men’s singles quarterfinal and doubles seminfinal.  

The current order of play sees him playing his singles semifinal against Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez at 11am BST, before he joins Alfie to play the doubles semifinal against home favourites Stephane Houdet and Frederic Cattaneo in the late afternoon. 

On facing the French, the Scot commented: “We’re just really excited to come up against them. It was one of our dreams before the tournament to come up against the local favourites. We’ve got big singles matches first in the morning to deal with but once they’re over with, we’ll be ready to go.”

Stephane Houdet was in the men’s doubles pair that won gold at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, defeating Gordon and Alfie in both finals. Both Gordon and Alfie will be hoping that it’ll be third time lucky for them in Paris.  

It was a tough start for the mixed team BC1/BC2, who suffered a 13-1 loss in their opening pool game against the People’s Republic of China. The mixed team, who is made up of Scotland’s Kayleigh Haggo, Claire Taggart and David Smith, had the challenge of resetting and refocusing before they took on Portugal in the evening pool match.  

The trio produced the goods in a tightly fought game, winning 5-4 to advance to tomorrow’s quarterfinals where they will play Indonesia at 11:50am.  

“It was really nerve-wracking, especially after the result this morning, so I’m so happy we got the win”, said Kayleigh following the win. 

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.