Sami Kinghorn on Thursday night won four medals in four Paralympic events and attributed his success in Paris to “ensuring that I'm the happiest person in the world” as he prepares to take on the world.
The fastest British woman ever to race in a wheelchair, Kinghorn has competed in three Paralympics and this has been her breakout summer. She won her fourth medal and third silver in the T53 400m, having won gold the day before and set a Paralympic record in the 100m. In athletics, Dan Pembroke shared her success with her, defending his title in the F13 javelin with a world record of 74.49m.
“I couldn't wait to get out there and entertain the crowd again,” Kinghorn said of her approach to the 400m, where she finished in 53.45 seconds, behind Swiss rival Catherine Debrunner. “As I get older, I start to understand that medals don't make you happy. Before, I always thought that if I won a medal at the Paralympics, I'd be super happy. But coming home with a medal in Tokyo didn't make me any happier. So going into this competition, I really tried to make myself super happy.”
“I think I'm learning more and more about myself, who I am and who I want to be, and I'm really proud of the growth I'm making. I had fun at this meet. I think this is probably the first time I can say I enjoyed competing. Usually, I don't, really. I just enjoy it when I cross the finish line and it's over.” [this time] I went out to the stadium every day and soaked up the atmosphere.”
Now the Scotswoman is finally ready to celebrate her achievements, with her main goal being to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Singapore. Already a presenter on BBC1 Countryfile, she says she wants to further diversify her career after the Olympics. “I didn't grow up wanting to be an athlete. [part of] “It's about trying to find who you are as a whole,” she says, “and when it comes to TV, I think anyone who talks about something they're passionate about can be listened to.”
Kinghorn was born on a farm in the Scottish Borders and suffered life-changing injuries when he was hit by a forklift at the age of 14. As a presenter, Kinghorn has seen first-hand the challenges faced by disabled people wanting to access the countryside, and joins a chorus of Paralympic heroes such as Tanni Grey-Thompson and Sarah Storey who have used the spotlight of the Olympics to campaign for better accessibility across British society.
“I live in Cheshire and there are lots of beautiful walks but they're all Kissing Gate – I can't get anywhere,” she said. “If I could change anything I wish I could walk across the fields. I have a free wheel so I can adapt my wheelchair to get through but I can't get through Kissing Gate. Plus sometimes I get bored of walking on the footpath. Like everyone else, I'd love to be able to walk from town to town through the fields and I'd love to be able to do that again. That's probably what I miss most.”
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Pembroke, the Tokyo champion, broke the world record twice in the javelin, the second time by a massive 3.34 metres. With the Paris crowd cheering him on wholeheartedly, the 33-year-old said he was overwhelmed by the experience. “It was phenomenal,” he said. “I've never experienced anything like that in my life and it was just an amazing feeling. Having the crowd rooting for me was my secret weapon. It was an incredible, amazing day.”
Pembroke was once an able-bodied javelin thrower, but years of retinitis pigmentosa caused him to suffer from poor eyesight in his 20s. He says that visualization exercises in training have helped him get through competitions, but when he spoke with Kinghorn, she shared her belief in putting fun first. “Visualization really helps clear your mind,” he said. “I spoke to Sami Kinghorn, and she's over the moon with her medal right now, but she told me to just go out there and have fun, and that's exactly what I did.”
