Kinghorn sheds 'silver Sammi' tag in style

Sammi Kinghorn powered to her first Paralympic title in record time with victory in the Women’s T53 100m final.

TheScot rebuilt her body after an accident left her with a spinal cord injury. Now her body has powered her to becoming a Paralympic champion.

Kinghorn was 16 when she was crushed by snow falling from the roof of her family farm but used wheelchair racing as a way to accept her new reality. 

The now five-time Paralympic medallist also paid tribute to the Borders community who helped her get to the top of the world. 

“I don’t even know what it means to me yet,” the 28-year-old said. “I love training, when I had my accident my body was torn down to nothing and I rebuilt it. Training was something that helped me accept this ‘new me’.  

“I never thought I’d be Paralympic champion so to be here as the fastest ever (in the Paralympics) is just mental. 

“My physio at the time, Claire, in the spinal unit in Glasgow, was incredible. I loved sport before my accident and she got me into trying loads of different ones.  

“I tried wheelchair racing and Ian Thompson, Tanni Grey-Thompson’s husband, said ‘you could be good at this’. That was like a switch.  

“Something traumatic had just happened to me and I didn’t know if I’d be good at anything ever again.  

“I remember thinking ‘I’m going to do this’. I went home to my parents and said ‘I just need £10,000 to get this going!’.  

“I’m very lucky to come from an incredible place in the Borders, they supported me and fundraised for me and now I’m Paralympic champion.” 

Kinghorn had already won two silver medals in her first two events at Paris 2024, winning ParalympicsGB’s first medal on the track in the 800m. 

She then claimed a surprise 1500m silver despite stopping pushing with 200m to go after confusion over how long was left. 

But in the straight sprint to the finish line of the 100m she was unparalleled, beating out Swiss great Catherine Debrunner in a time of 15.64. 

She added: “Silver Sammi has been all over everything so I wonder what they’ll come up with now!  

“I sobbed the whole way around the victory lap. Winning my first Paralympic medals with no-one in the stands was pretty heartbreaking. 

“So to see all my family in the stands – I have 29 people here with posters of my face – is so incredibly special.  

“Although it’s an individual sport, I have a huge team behind me and they all make me believe I can do what I’ve just done out there. My mind is still blown.”