Tag: paralympicsGB

24/10/2024

Fin Graham: On His Quest for Gold in Paris

By Lauren Cameron

For Fin Graham, 2024 will surely be a year to remember, following an outstanding performance in the Men’s C1-3 road race at the Paris Paralympics, earning him his first Paralympic gold medal.

A rising star in Para sport, Fin’s tremendous performance in both road and track cycling events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games captivated audiences around the world.

On September 7th, the Scot delivered a remarkable ride that saw him upgrade his Tokyo silver to gold, topping the men’s C1-3 road race podium and bringing Great Britain’s cycling medal tally to 22 on the final day of competition in Paris.

In the nail-biting final, the 24-year-old outsprinted host-nation favourites Thomas Peyroton-Dartet and Alexandre Leaute (FRA) for a maiden Paralympic title, crossing the finish line with an impressive time of 1:43:19. Despite being outnumbered, his well-timed sprint in the final kilometer of the 71km route secured his place at the top of the podium.

Having already secured two world titles and earned a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, this year’s gold win marks a pivotal moment in the athlete’s career, adding to his already impressive résumé.

Describing the win, the Highland athlete said: “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.”

The Scottish-born C3 athlete says he has always known what he wanted to do and has dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist since his school years.

“I think I’ve always had that drive. When I know what I want to do I’m able to kind of set my mind to it.”

“To have it all pay off, it’s something else.”

Born with bilateral clubfoot, he has never let his condition limit his success. His passion for Para cycling has been a driving force throughout his journey to success as a Paralympian. Through remarkable strength and unfaltering determination, he has built an impressive career and become a role model for aspiring Para athletes. Fin’s success at this years Games in Paris is a testament to his exceptional skill, dedication and resilience.

Returning to his home in Strathpeffer, the Highland athlete has brought with him two medals; a silver for the 3000m individual pursuit and gold for the men’s road race.

Reflecting on this year’s sporting success in Paris, he said: “Any medal at a Paralympics is an amazing achievement but you’re constantly driving for that gold medal, so to come away in the last event with the gold medal, it means so much.”

“It’s so special to cross a line with your hands in the air and celebrate with the team afterwards.”

Earlier in the Games, the Scot also took home a silver after facing off against ParalympicsGB teammate, Jaco van Gass, in the men’s C3 3000m individual pursuit, finishing four seconds off the golden time.

Despite successfuly breaking the world record for the individual pursuit earlier in the heats with a time of 3:17:14, defending champion Van Gass regained his world record just mintues later in the following heat.

While th Paris 2024 Paralympics has come to a close, it seems that Fin Graham’s gold medal victory is only the beginning of an already impressive career. With his sights set on future competitions, he shows no signs of slowing down.

The Scottish athlete leaves Paris as a true champion, embodying the spirit of the Paralympics and empowering athletes and fans around the world.

Make to follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.

21/10/2024

Golden Games: Nathan Macqueen’s Paralympic Journey

By Veronica Buccino

The Lothian star left his third Paralympics Games with a gold medal alongside teammate Jodie Grinham, and now ready to train for upcoming World Championship.

Nathan Macqueen, 33-year-old Scot, returned to his home in Dumfries, following his triumphant performance in his third Paralympic Games.

“Paris was definitely different compared to Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020,” said Nathan.

“Rio was my first Games [after] I joined the squad in late 2015, so I had less than a year to make the team and Tokyo was a Covid Games. But this time I could actually have a proper experience”.

Eight years of arduous teamwork later, he and his teammate Jodie Grinham took home a team gold medal on day 5.

“I’ve known Jodie since I got into the squad in 2015 and it was nice to share the experience with her. Timing wise, competing individually is probably easier, because you get 30 seconds an arrow when alone, but in a team, you get 20. However, being in a team relieves a lot of pressure, when there’s someone else in line with you”.

When asked how it felt to win, he added: “There were some politics that happened in Rio that took me out of the team and they went on and got a silver medal. It was a bit of a sore point that I could’ve get a medal in my first Games but didn’t. It was rather thrilling to be able to obtain one in Paris and do significantly better with the gold”.

Due to the pandemic and the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Paralympics, Nathan only had three years in between Games. He reflected on the training requirements: “The training is hard. There’s a lot of time away from my family, which I think is the hardest bit but it is also trying to get a good balance and I usually manage to do it”.

In addition to the gym workouts, the training sessions can extend from 8am until 6pm, with an average of 200 arrows shot. Being an outdoor sport, inside training with artificial light during winter months can be mentally challenging. Consistency can help a lot: “This is what we do, we have to repeat the same thing over and over again, and it makes it sound really easy, but it’s not”, Nathan added, characterising the sport as ‘the art of repetition’.

For the athlete, it felt extremely important to have his family there in Paris to support him.

“I wanted my family to be there for me, but when that happened, I was also a bit nervous. I didn’t look in their direction when I was shooting, and I didn’t wave at them until after. Now that I’ve got a month off, I want to spend time with them. Then it is back to work. I’ve got the World Championships next year (2025) in September, so I have to get ready for that”.

Scottish Disability Sport Week (SDSW) is something to earmark for this year. The one week long campaign (25^th November – 1^st December) is a nationwide celebration throughout Scotland. The week engages numerous partners across the country and encourages people to get active. Each day focuses on a different theme: the benefits of getting active, overcoming barriers, intersectionality, clubs and communities and how to get involved.

In light od SDSW, Nathan explained how he benefitted from getting active and participating in sport following his accident.

“I just had more motivation to do things. After my accident, I did not want to do a lot with myself but I found that with sport, I had to do something, and without the discipline, I would not be the person I am today”.

The Scot went on to explain the intersectionality of archery:

“It is one of the very few sports where, apart from during the Paralympics and World Championships, you compete against everybody and there aren’t distinctions of Para categories. This is extremely important because when I was younger it was a bit difficult for me to be disabled, and this inclusivity made me feel part of the sport even more, rather than being in my own little category by myself. This is why I really like archery, and I have never faced any societal barriers”.

Nathan wanted to emphasise the importance of getting into sport, in a way that it doesn’t only make you healthier and fitter, but it helps you set goals which is a good mental release.

***

Please note that entries are now open for the SDS National Indoor Archery Championships, supported by The Motability Scheme.

The Championships will take place on Sunday 1st of December 2024 at Bertha Park High School.

Please find the link to register and for full details of the event, here.

The registration deadline is Thursday 21st November 2024.

***

Make to follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.

11/09/2024

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.

09/09/2024

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!

09/09/2024

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.

04/09/2024

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.  

03/09/2024

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.

02/09/2024

Scottish Boccia Athlete Wins Paris 2024 Paralympics Gold Medal on Day 5

Scottish boccia star Stephen McGuire wins gold for ParalympicsGB and his first ever Paralympic medal.

By Bethany Lee

Scotland’s Stephen McGuire just won a 2024 Paralympics gold medal on day five in Paris.

The star from Hamilton dominated the men’s BC4 individual final against Columbia’s Edilson Chica Chica – which marked the inaugural final for this boccia category at a Paralympic Games.

There was not a dry eye in the audience of GB supporters, or the thousands watching on the livestream, as Stephen celebrated his win.

“I’ve played this sport for 20 years and I’ve been in every possible final, apart from the Paralympics, I’ve never even been to the podium. I was starting to feel this event was getting away from me, two fourths in London, another fourth in Rio, I didn’t even make the semis in Tokyo, it just shows why you should never give up,” said Stephen.

Despite drawing three all by the second end, Stephen took a magnificent lead in the third, dominating the game after a few mistakes from Chica Chica.

His victory looked almost certain by the final end, but Stephen kept his cool, bringing it home with an 8-3 win and securing the gold medal.

Stephen said: “I felt really confident in the final. My flatmate is David Smith and he’s won three golds, he told me to have no regrets and told me not to settle for silver, just go for it.”

Stephen’s older brother and boccia player, Peter McGuire, commentated on the game for Channel 4. As Stephen took the win, Peter got emotional.

When asked what this means for him and his family, Peter tearfully said: “I can’t describe it right now, it means not only acceptance, but we’re here and we’re strong. It’s hard to put into words.”

The victory comes after an incredible Paralympics for Stephen, only losing one game the entire tournament.

“There wasn’t many nerves, there were more in the semi-final because I’ve lost the last three. It’s a Paralympic final, I may never reach another one, so I told myself to enjoy it,” Stephen said.

Stephen has been working towards this for twenty years, finishing fourth at three previous Paralympic Games and coming back from a knee injury in 2021. He has had an amazing year in the sport, winning 17 out of his previous 18 international matches. However, qualifying for Paris 2024 was never guaranteed.

“The easiest way to qualify [for the Paralympics] is through the pairs but I didn’t make it, so I had to focus everything on the individual. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of soul searching and I was the last person to be named on this team, the others knew months ago. It’s been an unbelievable season, I’ve made a final in every competition I’ve entered.”

A well-deserved win in Paris for Stephen and for ParalympicsGB.

02/09/2024

After 20 years of Chasing a Paralympic Medal, Stephen McGuire Gets Paralympic Gold

Scotland’s Stephen McGuire wins inaugural BC4 boccia gold ahead of Nathan Macqueen’s gold in Para archery, on day five of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

It’s been the perfect Games for Stephen McGuire in Paris, who ends his fourth Paralympic Games with a gold medal in the men’s individual BC4.

A Paralympic medal was the only medal that the Scot had never won. He had been chasing this dream for 20 years and finally, on Monday 2nd September, he was crowned Paralympic champion.

Stephen got off to a great start to take the first end 3-0, against Colombia’s Edilson Chica Chica.

The Colombian fought back in the second end though to draw level at the halfway point (3-3). Stephen needed to bounce back and lean on his years of experience to get himself back in front. The Scot did exactly that – he remained calm and dominated the third end with a further 5 points (8-3).

The Colombian had to pull something special out of the bag to leapfrog into the lead. However, Stephen only allowed his opponent to score two points after strategically setting up some good block balls.

Errors made by Edilson in the first and third ends proved critical and Stephen claimed the title, with a final score of 8-5.

The Para athlete from Hamilton went on to say: “The easiest way to qualify is through the pairs but I didn’t make it, so I had to focus everything on the individual. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of soul searching and I was the last person to be named on this team, the others knew months ago. It’s been an unbelievable season, I’ve made a final in every competition I’ve entered.

“There wasn’t many nerves, there were more in the semi-final because I’ve lost the last three. It’s a Paralympic final, I may never reach another one, so I told myself to enjoy it.”

The Scots won a second gold medal on day five of the Games thanks to Nathan Macqueen and teammate Jodie Grinham (ENG), who showed great composure on their way to bagging gold in the mixed team compound open, in Para archery.

Their path to the podium followed a 150-141 over Australia in the quarterfinals and a new Paralympic record in the semifinals against Italy with a score of 156 (v 149).

The duo looked solid heading into the gold final where they faced Fatemeh Hemmati and Hadi Nori (IRI). The pair shot some incredible arrows in very tense moments. They kept their cool to take the Paralympic title, winning 155-151.

“It’s pure relief. This is my third Games and I hadn’t medalled. We are both parents now and there is a lot of sacrifice being a high-performance athlete, being away from your children. They are the hardest bits but this has made it all worth it, I can give my wee boy a medal.” Said the Scotsman.

Sammi Kinghorn and Melanie Woods were racing in the same event today on the Para athletics track. The Scottish duo clocked 3:34.83 and 3:20.70 respectively, to seal their places in tomorrow’s 1500m T54 final.

Just one year after giving birth to her son, Alison Peasgood delivered a terrific swim-bike-run to finish fourth in the women’s Para triathlon PTVI (vision impairment). Alison, with guide Brooke Gillies, clocked a time of 1:09:21.

“I’m just completely overwhelmed.” Said Alison after the race.

Despite Paris being Alison’s third Paralympic Games (Rio 2016 silver, Tokyo 2020 4th), it is the first time she has been guided by 26-year-old fellow Scot, Brooke, at a Paralympics.

“Give me a whole year and I’ll be fully fit but I’m just so proud of Brooke for supporting me through this.” Alison said.

Reflecting on the past year, the 36-year-old Para athlete from Dunfermline said: “It’s been a rollercoaster, there’s nothing you can compare it to. There are days where you feel amazing, there’s days where you feel awful but ultimately no matter what I do I know Logan (son) is going to want to play with me. He’s here, probably fast asleep somewhere.”

In Para table tennis, Martin Perry’s Paralympic campaign concluded in Paris after a defeat in the men’s singles SM6, last 16.

Ian Seidenfeld of USA got the better of Martin in each set, 11-5, 11-5, 11-9.

“This has been the highlight of my career and up there with one of the best experiences of my life”, Martin said.

“This whole experience has been everything I’ve wanted it to be and more despite the results. Obviously they would have been the cherry on top but the whole experience and privilege of being at the Paralympics and representing my country at the highest level is a honour I will never forget.”

Gordon Reid continued his winning ways in the men’s wheelchair tennis singles.

Gordon used his extensive experience to ease through to the quarter finals with a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 win against Japan’s Takuya Miki.

He will face the talented Argentinian Gustavo Fernandez in the last eight. Gustavo has the slight edge in head-to-head matches over the 58 times (27 v 31) they have played each other.

Reid will very much see this as the business end of the event beginning now and a chance to get to the final four in what will undoubtedly be a tough fixture.

31/08/2024

World Record Breaking Swim by Stephen Clegg to Claim a First Gold for the Scots in Paris

It was a golden swim for Stephen Clegg in the men’s 100m backstroke S12, who set a new world record on his way to claiming the Paralympic title.

It was the perfect start to his Paralympic campaign in Paris and the win marked his first ever Paralympic gold medal in Para swimming.

He said: “In Tokyo and Rio, nerves crippled me and that was me done. Now they fuel me. I know I’m ready to go when I’ve got tingles in my fingers and I had them in my heat and final today. I knew there was something good coming.”

The Scot looked strong in the morning heat, finishing nearly a second ahead of the field. His dominance continued in the evening when he clocked a new world’s best time of 59.02 – 1.65 seconds faster than second place.

“Not long ago this was one of my weaker events and now I’m a world record holder”, said the swimmer who trains in Edinburgh.

“That gold had been a long time coming. Now the pressure is off a little bit in terms of that sort of barrier I’ve had. What a way to start for me, I’m over the moon with it.”

In wheelchair basketball the women’s team suffered a loss to Canada following a very tight game, 54-63.

After a strong start to take the opening quarter 13-10, Canada had a great comeback to win both the second and third quarters (11-19, 12-22). Great Britain closed out strong with a 18-12 win in the final quarter but it was too little too late.

It was a crucial win for Canada who secure second place in the pool, with Great Britain slotting in third place ahead of Spain. The People’s Republic of China top their pool with four points but it’s still all to play for in the women’s game.

In boccia, despite losing his final pool match in the morning – conceding 2-4 to Canada’s Iulian Ciobanu – Stephen McGuire finished top of the pools to head into the evening’s quarterfinals with confidence.

Stephen showed why he is one of the best in the men’s individual BC4, by bouncing back to have a convincing 6-1 win over Yuk Wing Leung (HKG).

“It’s a massive day, the champion. He won the gold medal in Rio, and he also medalled in Tokyo. It was always going to be a tough match. Always 50/50 matches that we play together but he’s always done well at the Paralympics. He has always got that medal so to get over that line in the quarter final for me to be playing for a medal, I’m delighted.” Said Stephen.

He continued to say: “This is probably up there with one of the best games I’ve ever played, the best results I’ve ever had. This one and probably the world championship final that I won in 2016. This certainly ranks as one of the best.”

Stephen will now face Croatia’s Davor Komar in the semifinals tomorrow (Sunday 1st) at 10:55am BST.

Edinburgh based Patrick Wilson (with ramp operator, Meredith Greenwood) dominated his final pool match with a 9-0 win over Karabo Morapedi (RSA) in the men’s individual BC3. He qualified ahead of teammate William Arnott, to cements his spot in tomorrow’s (Sunday 1st) quarterfinal against Damian Iskrzycki (Poland).

Meanwhile in the women’s individual BC2, Kayleigh Haggo gave a great performance in her quarterfinal but couldn’t match the strength of Gischa Zayana (INA), who took the game 8-2. Whilst this marks the end of her individual competition in Paris, Kayleigh will feature alongside teammate David Smith and Claire Taggart in the mixed team on Tuesday 3rd.