Paralympic gold medallist and Commonwealth Games Athlete Ambassador Sammi Kinghorn OBE reflects on her journey in sport as she undertakes a new challenge: motherhood
When Sammi Kinghorn was 14 years old, an accident on the farm she grew up on changed her life forever. Crushed by a forklift, she sustained a spinal cord injury that put her in a wheelchair. What happened next is a story of transformation rather than tragedy – a journey that’s taken her to Paralympic podiums, primetime television and, most recently, to the cusp of motherhood.
“I think because I was so young, and kids are so resilient,” Sammi reflects. “I think that helped with getting on with things.” Sammi’s resilience and positivity shine through during our interview. She still smiles even when talking about the tough stuff – like spending six months at Glasgow’s spinal unit before emerging into a world she hadn’t known existed.
BETTER AND FASTER
Before leaving hospital, she went to the Spinal Unit Games, where she encountered wheelchair racing for the first time. She was transfixed. “I remember seeing this girl going around in a racing chair and me being speechless,” Sammi recalls. “She looked really ripped and cool, and had pink stars on her chair. She was overtaking the runners. I remember thinking: I’m gonna be better and faster than I was before.”
That spark became a fire. Within a year, Sammi had her first racing chair. By 2012, she was competing at the London Mini Marathon. Watching the home Paralympics that summer – with the electric atmosphere in the stadium and stars like Hannah Cockcroft and David Weir (who she now counts as friends) on the track – deepened Sammi’s conviction. “I was so incredibly lucky that I started my journey around then. It made things seem a lot more possible.”
What followed is a career that’s seen Sammi become one of the world’s most decorated wheelchair racers, collecting medals at World Championships and Paralympics. But, alongside her successes, she’s fought a battle that’s had nothing to do with her disability.
MENTAL PRESSURES
“The toughest parts of my career have been dealing with the mental pressures,” she explains, candidly. “The physical side was always easy for me. But racing – I found it really difficult. I would be sick before every single race.”
At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, when Sammi ranked number one in the world in the 100 metres, she threw up at the start line. “I always struggled with self-belief,” she admits. “I never really believed I deserved to be there.” Sammi recognises the pressure she puts herself under is internal, and it all goes back to her injury. “After having something traumatic happen, I automatically didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me,” she reveals. “I felt like I had to achieve something big. I was piling on pressure that was completely unnecessary. Some people thrive under pressure… while I’m just throwing up in the corner!”
Paris 2024 marked a turning point. Working with a sports psychologist and delving deep into coping mechanisms, Sammi’s been able to reframe her relationship with competition. “I tell myself that I’m nervous because I care. And I’ve learned to control the controllables. All I can control is myself – not the weather, not anyone else.” She still gets sick before races, but says: “Now I just tell myself: that’s me, that’s the way I am, and that’s fine.”
SO FRUSTRATING
Her role as a presenter on Countryfile has changed the rhythm of her life – and, she hopes, the way disabled people are perceived. Having grown up on a farm, she says: “I love the countryside, but it’s so frustrating that it isn’t more accessible. Kissing gates are the bane of my life!” She laughs at some of the online comments her appearances have generated. “Someone watched Countryfile and saw me on a boat and wrote: ‘You can’t put a disabled person on a boat – what if she falls off?’ And I was like… I can swim!”
The reaction reflects a broader frustration. “If kids don’t get their questions answered, they become ignorant adults who just assume what I can and can’t do. That’s my biggest pet peeve – being told what I can and can’t do by someone who doesn’t even know me.”
QUITE AMAZING
Sammi is now expecting her first child with husband Callum, entering her third trimester as we speak. Far from finding pregnancy at odds with her athletic identity, she’s found something unexpected in it. “For the first time, my body is doing something it’s supposed to do. A lot of the time, with a disability, your body doesn’t do what it’s meant to. But this… It’s quite amazing. I feel so grateful.”
She’s taking a measured, pressure free approach to the idea of returning to sport. “I’ve achieved everything I could have ever thought possible. So if it comes to the point where I can’t get back into racing, I wouldn’t feel I’d missed out. But I don’t feel done when it comes to sport yet.”
Her advice to other disabled people contemplating sport, parenthood or simply a life fully lived? “Try to be confident in yourself – it’ll get you through most things. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. The world isn’t accessible and, if you don’t ask for help sometimes, you’ll miss out on so many beautiful things it has to offer.”
As for what comes next for Sammi Kinghorn – Paralympic champion, television presenter, soon-to-be mother – whatever it is, she’ll keep pushing for lead position.