Fact File
Date of birth
6 January 1996Sport
AthleticsClub
Red StarDiscipline
100m, 200m ,400m, 800m, 1500m and MarathonBiography
When she was 14 years old, Sammi Kinghorn suffered a serious spinal injury after an accident on her family’s farm in the Scottish Borders. The accident left her unable to walk and fully reliant on a wheelchair for mobility.
Encouraged by her physiotherapist, Sammi tried disability sports and discovered wheelchair racing. Taking part in her first event in 2012, The London Mini Marathon, where she came 2nd, set Sammi on a path from which she has never looked back.
Competing in the T53 classification, Sammi made her Paralympian debut for Team GB in Rio 2016 where she finished 5th in the 100m and 6th in the 200m.
In 2017, Sammi become double World Champion in the 100m and 200m at the London World Championships in 2017. She is also the current World record holder over 200m and European record holder over 100m, 400m and 800m.
2018 saw Sammi compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, this time targeting longer distances in the marathon and 1500m. She placed 4th in both races, a huge achievement for a sprint athlete.
In 2019, back in her comfort zone of shorter distances and sprints, Sammi won bronze in the 100m at the World Para-Athletics Championships.
Her racing achievements have helped Sammi win numerous awards including the Sunday Mail Sports Personality of the Year, Team Scotland’s Sportsperson of the Year and British Athletics Writers Association Female Para Athlete of the Year.