Tag: toni shaw

Alison Peasgood and guide Brooke Gillies running during the Para triathlon water to bike transition area. They are wearing their wetsuits and swimming caps and googles.

“Girls can do sport, we’re really good at it!” The Scottish women that smashed the Paris 2024 Paralympics

In honour of Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, here is a roundup of all the Scottish women that competed at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and what female leadership in sport means to them.

By Bethany Lee


 

The Paris 2024 Paralympics was a whirlwind event that ended with ParalympicsGB in 2nd place in the medals table.  21 Scots competed for the team and over half of them were women.

They are a testament to the greatness that can be achieved by women and girls in sport and that is what this week is all about (30 September to 6 October).

Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week aims to increase the visibility of female athletes and raise awareness for the benefits sport can have on physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.

This year a record breaking 46% of the ParalympicsGB team was female, including 11 Scottish women, whom all delivered incredible performances and brought home 11 medals.

 

Samantha Kinghorn smiling on the medals podium, holding her Paralympic gold medal and the Paralympic mascot.
Credit: ParalympicsGB

Samantha Kinghorn absolutely crushed it on the track winning her first Paralympic gold in the women’s 100m T53 with a time of 15.64, a new personal record. She also won four silver medals in Paris, bringing her to a total of six medals across three Paralympic games. There is no stopping Sammi!

 

Alongside Sammi in the Para athletics department was Glasgow’s Melanie Woods. Melanie herself used to be a Physical Education teacher, so she knows just how important female leadership is in sports. She left Paris with some huge personal best scores.

 

Scotland’s own Jenny Holl, pilot for tandem partner Sophie Urwin, had an incredible time in Paris absolutely dominating the track. The duo won two gold medals, as well as a silver and a bronze medal. Their gold in the women’s B Road race was particularly thrilling to watch, as they secured their win with an incredible final spirt.

Hope Gordon paddled her way to a silver medal in women’s 200m VL3 Para canoeing. The Scotswoman, originally from the Highlands, praised the women in her team in an interview with Scottish Disability Sport.

She said: “Within our team, the girls are super strong and it’s really cool to be a part of that. We got 8 medals, and the girls got 6 of those so it’s a strong team, especially on the female side.”

Hope Gordon paddling in a Para canoe race at the Paralympics
Credit: ParalympicsGB

Advising other women and girls hoping to get into sport, she said: “It’s just about taking opportunities and trying things, and just because you haven’t seen a female that looks like you doing the same sport, it doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”

She also praised all the women throughout her career working behind the scenes: “I also think that such a big part of performance sport that people forget about is the volunteers, especially in rural areas. We would be absolutely lost without volunteers, and a huge portion of those, in my experience, have been female.”

Kayleigh Haggo throwing a boccia ball at the Paralympics
Credit: ParalympicsGB/David Pearce

On the boccia court, Kayleigh Haggo was the only female athlete representing Scotland. She started playing boccia in 2022 and made her international debut last year. Despite not taking home a medal, Kayleigh made Scotland proud, winning many of her individual BC2 games.

Meanwhile in the Para triathlon, Dunfermline’s Alison Peasgood and her pilot Brooke Gillies, who have been competing together since 2021, narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the women’s PTVI event.

On the basketball court Scottish players Robyn Love and Jodie Waite competed for ParalympicsGB, smashing their way through the qualifiers and finishing fifth in the playoffs where they defeated Germany with a score of 48-39.

In the pool, Aberdeen’s Toni Shaw and University of Aberdeen’s Faye Rogers were giving it their all. Toni fought hard in the women’s 400m freestyle S9 final, finishing fifth. Faye took home a gold medal in the women’s 100m S10 Butterfly, a brilliant debut for her first Paralympics.

For Faye, encouraging women and girls to do sport is essential. Speaking to Scottish Disability Sport, she said: “I think sport can give you so many opportunities, obviously socially but it’s keeping fit and keeping healthy. It’s given me the opportunity to go to Paris and win a gold medal!

“None of that would have been possible without strong female role models. Representation always matters, being able to see someone who looks like you or has a similar disability to you or is the same gender as you, that matters, and it really helps.”

Faye diving off the board into the swimming pool during a race at the Paris 2024 Paralympics
Credit: ParalympicsGB

Faye also spoke out about the tendency for girls to avoid sport when they’re younger: “Girls can do sport, we’re really good at it. It’s a shame that in schools a lot of girls try and avoid it because honestly when you do get involved it’s so much fun and it’s a shame that so many girls miss out on that. You don’t have to be doing it at an elite level, but that’s okay too, it’s so much fun!”

There are so many opportunities that sport can provide, and anyone can get involved. Who knows, you might end up on the podium yourself one day. 

Make to follow Scottish Disability Sport on FacebookX and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website

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