Samantha Kinghorn

Started: She took up Para athletics in 2011. (bbc.co.uk, 16 Nov 2013) Reason: While recovering from her injuries in hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, her physiotherapist took her to try Para athletics at the Inter Spinal Unit Games in Buckinghamshire, England. "The games are about meeting people that have gone through the same thing as you. I tried everything that weekend, and then I tried wheelchair racing. Finding a sport that was adaptable for me to go fast and it looked cool, that's what drove me to start with. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's husband was there and I remember him saying that I was really good at it. At 14 years old, for someone to say that to me after something so traumatic was a really good feeling. So I came home from that and said to mum and dad, 'I know what I'm going to do, don't worry about me'." (skysports.com, 28 Mar 2020; scotsman.com, 22 Sep 2017; thesun.co.uk, 28 Aug 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (farmersguide.co.uk, 21 Jul 2023) Awards: In 2023 she was named Para Athlete of the Year at the Scottish Women in Sport Awards. (bordertelegraph.com, 30 Nov 2023) In 2023 she was named Para Athlete of the Year by Scottish Athletics. She won the same award in 2017. (thesouthernreporter.co.uk, 30 Oct 2023; scotstats.net, 01 Jan 2019) She was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours list. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, 01 Jun 2022) She was named Female Para Athlete of the Year at the 2017 British Athletics Writers' Association [BAWA] Awards. (britishathletics.org.uk, 20 Nov 2017) She was named Scottish Sportsperson of the Year in 2017 at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards. (skysports.com, 27 Sep 2017; scotsman.com, 22 Sep 2017) In 2015 and 2017 she won the Findley Calder Trophy from Scottish Disability Sport. (scottishdisabilitysport.com, 01 Jan 2019) In 2017 she was named Sportsperson of the Year in Glasgow, Scotland. (scottishdisabilitysport.com, 07 Feb 2018) She was named the 2015 Scotswoman of the Year by the Evening Times newspaper in Glasgow, Scotland. (heraldscotland.com, 20 Mar 2016) She was named the 2013 Athlete with an Impairment of the Year at the Scottish Sports Personality of the Year Awards. (eveningtimes.co.uk, 03 Mar 2014) Additional Info: SWITCHING TRAINING BASE She moved her training base from Glasgow, Scotland, to Kirkby AC in Liverpool, England, in the lead-up to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. "I'm now training with people that are faster than me and that's what I needed." (athleticsweekly.com, 22 Mar 2024) DEALING WITH PRESSURE She feels there is more expectation for her to perform well since establishing herself as an elite Para athlete, but also believes that she has learned how to deal with pressure and nerves. "I go to an event and it's not the same as when I was 17 because people are expecting me to come home with medals now. Now though, I'm used to that. I know I'll probably feel really horrible on the day of the race but I always tell myself I feel like that because I'm passionate about my sport and it's because I want to do well. It's just adrenaline and as soon as the gun goes, I'm in my element and I'm doing what I love. In those hours before the race, you do wonder why you do it but then when the race starts, I know exactly why I do it." (heraldscotland.com, 09 Sep 2018, 01 Apr 2018) FARM LIFE She grew up on her family's farm near Gordon, Scotland, and from age five she began delivering lambs. "Things like helping out with the night lambing I can no longer do because I can't miss training the next day. It is heartbreaking because it is something I really enjoy. When I was a kid, I would take time out of school and my friend and I would do night lambing. We would stay awake all night so that my dad could sleep and then do the whole day." In 2020 her father gifted her a pet lamb named Ruby. "My dad would never get me one [when she was younger] because they are like a baby and you have to feed them through the night. For now she [Ruby] will live on the farm and hopefully have lambs in the next few years but one day I would really love to have my own piece of land so I can have her outside my door." (Instagram profile, 12 Jan 2021; paralympic.org, 14 May 2020; heraldscotland.com, 20 Mar 2016) TELEVISION WORK She has worked as a presenter on the British television show 'Countryfile'. The role was initially meant to be a one-off but she was called back by producers to see if she would like to do it permanently. "I've been interviewed loads of times but I've never interviewed someone else, so I was really terrified but I went and done it and I loved it. Being able to travel the world and speak to people that are passionate about the countryside, I love that." (Loose Women YouTube channel, 09 Jan 2024; farmersguide.co.uk, 21 Jul 2023)