Sammi Kinghorn made it four medals from four events at the Paralympics on Thursday night and credited her success in Paris to “making sure that I was the happiest person” as she prepared to take on the world.
The fastest British woman ever to race in a wheelchair, Kinghorn has competed at three Paralympics but this has been her breakthrough summer. Her fourth medal, a third silver, came here in the T53 400m, just a day after winning gold and setting a Paralympic record in the 100m. She was joined in track and field success by Dan Pembroke, who retained his F13 javelin title with a world record throw of 74.49m.
“I was just buzzing to get out there again and enjoy that crowd,” Kinghorn said of her approach to the 400m, where she finished behind her Swiss rival Catherine Debrunner in a time of 53.45 sec. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to understand that the medals aren’t the things that make you happy. Before I always thought, if I win a Paralympic medal, I’ll be the happiest person ever. Then I came away from Tokyo with a medal and it hadn’t made me any happier. So I really worked on making sure that I was the happiest person going into these Games.
“I think I’m learning more and more about myself, and who I am, and who I want to be as a person and I’m proud of the person I’m turning into. I have enjoyed these Games. I think it’s probably the first time I can say I’ve enjoyed competing. Normally I really don’t. I enjoy it when I cross the line and I’m done, but [this time] coming out into that stadium each day, I’ve soaked it up.”
The Scot is now set finally to be able to celebrate her achievements, with the chief focus a trip to Singapore to watch the Formula One Grand Prix. Already a presenter on BBC1 Countryfile, she says she also hopes to further diversify her career after the Games. “I didn’t grow up wanting to be a sportsperson, it is [part of] that thing of trying to find who am I as a whole,” she said. “TV-wise, I think I could listen to anyone talk about something they’re passionate about, even if it was a stick.”
Kinghorn was born on a farm in the Scottish Borders and suffered life-changing injuries at the age of 14 when she was crushed by a forklift truck. As a presenter, Kinghorn has seen the problems for disabled people who want access to the countryside. And she joined the chorus of Paralympic heroes, including Dames Tanni Grey-Thompson and Sarah Storey, who have used the spotlight of the Games to call for increased accessibility across British society.
“I live in Cheshire and there’s loads of beautiful walks, but they’re all kissing gates. And I can’t go anywhere,” she said. “If I could change anything, I would love to be able to go across a field. I’ve got a free wheel, I can modify my chair to do it, but I can’t get through the kissing gate. And sometimes I’m sick of walking on pavements. I’d love to just go for a stroll like everyone else can and walk from town to town through the fields. I would love to be able to do that again. That’s something I probably miss the most.”
Pembroke, the champion in Tokyo, broke the world record twice during his javelin contest, the second an enormous 3.34 metres increase on the first. He was cheered on wholeheartedly by the Parisian crowd and the 33-year-old said he had been overwhelmed by the experience. “That was phenomenal,” he said. “I’ve never had anything like that ever before in my life, it was just such a feeling. The crowd just got behind me and that was my secret weapon. It was incredible, an amazing day.”
A former non-disabled javelin athlete, Pembroke suffered deteriorating vision in his 20s due to long-standing retinitis pigmentosa. He said he had been practising visualisation work in his training which helped him push through the competition, but also that he had spoken to Kinghorn, who had shared her enjoyment-first mantra. “Visualisation really helps to clear the mind,” he said. “I’ve been speaking to Sammi Kinghorn, she’s clanging with medals at the moment and she told me to just go out there and enjoy it and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”
