Samantha Kinghorn was involved in a farm accident at age 14 that left her with a broken back. During her six months in the hospital, she was introduced to disability sport and fell in love with wheelchair racing. After training for just two weeks with her own racing chair, she finished second in her first race. She has since won gold medals in international competitions and hopes to continue competing in Paralympics for as long as possible. She encourages others that with hard work and never giving up, one can achieve their goals despite any disabilities.

1. 10 Children in Scotland February 2015
It was a day that would change her life forever.When
Samantha Kinghorn was 14 years old, she was involved
in an accident that left her with a broken back on the
farm she lived with her family in the Scottish Borders.
The athlete and Commonwealth Games competitor
spent six months in hospital and it was during this time
that she first heard about disability sport. She went to the
spinal unit games and tried lots of different sports and
activities.This is where she saw wheelchair racing for the
first time and fell in love with the sport.
This was in 2011, and, a year later, Samantha managed to
raise enough money to buy her own racing chair.After
training for just two weeks, Samantha participated in her
first race: the London mini marathon, and, incredibly,
finished in second place.
In 2013, Samantha was selected to be part of the
Great Britain senior team and was also selected for
the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she
competed in the 1,500m. Samantha qualified for the
finals and finished in fifth place. Following the Games
she was selected for herTeam GB debut in the
European Championships where she won three
gold medals in the 100m, 400m and 800m.
Samantha, 18, who proved to be one of the stars of the
show when she appeared at Children in Scotland’s Sports
Conference at Hampden Park last October, is
undoubtedly an inspiration to many, whether they have a
disability or not. She is adamant that that nation’s young
people should be involved in sport, explaining:“If there
was a child not taking part in sport I would have to ask
why and what their worries were, and try and find a sport
they enjoy. For them to be interested, they need to know
about all the good things sport can bring.
“The benefits of sport and exercise are feeling great
in yourself, feeling fit and healthy, and it's a chance to
socialise with different people, so you can make friends.
It's also a chance for you to travel, which is just amazing,
and meet people on a much larger spectrum.”
And her advice to children and young people who may
be struggling at their chosen discipline? “My advice would
be to never give up. For me, my biggest worry in my sport
is not achieving what I feel I should achieve.What my
mum always tells me is ‘as long as you never give up then
you can never fail’.This is what I always try and remember
– if you give it 100% then you have succeeded.
“I have taught children about disability and how it
is an elite sport and about how sport just makes you
happier and healthy. Kids always get so confused about
my sport until they see my chair and I always give them
a go in it so they can understand how it works.”
And as one expects from someone as driven and
ambitious as Samantha, she is already thinking well ahead:
“My plans for the future are mostly in athletics. I want to
be a full-time athlete for as long as possible at the highest
level and go to as many Paralympics as possible.
“After my athletics career, I would like to do more
inspirational talks to gain experience in that area.”
For many young people, though, Samantha is already
a great inspiration.
After a tragic farm accident, Samantha Kinghorn refused to let disability stop her from
embarking on a successful career in wheelchair athletics, discovers David A. Findlay
“What my mum
always tells me
is ‘as long as
you never give
up then you
can never fail’”
No barriers
to sport
FEBRUARY Magazine_Layout 1 10/02/2015 13:40 Page 10