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We chat to a world champion who has changed her set-up in the pursuit of excellence but has also developed a healthy sense of perspective
In spite of her impressive credentials, world champion Sammi Kinghorn – a two-time Paralympic medallist and former world record-holder – still laughs about the fact she “should get a real job”.
“I think it’s because I didn’t want to be a sportsperson growing up,” she says. “It wasn’t my all, so I think I struggle with it now being my all. I find it mad that it’s my hobby but I’m doing it as my job!”
Even the best athletes, it seems, experience imposter syndrome; it’s how they manage it that sets them apart. T53 wheelchair racer Kinghorn excelled in 2023. She won 100m gold at the Para Athletics World Championships in Paris and clocked lifetime bests in every distance from the 200m up to the half marathon. She also discovered that a work-life balance was crucial for her happiness and success.
Predisposed to single-mindedness, she had previously let track and field consume her. She recalls the 2019 World Championships in Dubai and how unhappy she felt going into that competition, compared to Paris. Kinghorn was in good shape and had high expectations – she was the reigning champion in the 100m and 200m at the time – but, to her disappointment, she came away with just one bronze medal.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself and it was just too much,” says the 28-year-old. “In the past I’ve thought that winning gold was the only thing in life that would make me happy, but then when I’ve won gold, I’ve thought: ‘Well I’m still not happy, that’s not right,’ and then I’ve realised that you need other things in life to make you happy as well. Obviously winning a gold medal should be the cherry on the top, but it shouldn’t hold you up and you shouldn’t hang all your happiness on a medal. That’s taken a lot to learn.”
Sammi Kinghorn (Getty)
That’s not to say her commitment to the sport is anything less than 100 per cent. Kinghorn relocated from the Scottish Borders to Cheshire to maximise her potential. She now trains with a group at Kirkby AC in Liverpool, including multiple Paralympic champion and world record-holder Hannah Cockroft and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nathan Maguire.
“I was starting to become the fastest [in my group] in Glasgow and I needed a kick up the arse,” she says. “I’m now training with people that are faster than me and that’s what I needed.”
In addition to her performances on the track, the Rodger Harkins-coached athlete has made a name for herself as a presenter on the BBC’s Countryfile. It’s a role she’s passionate about, but it’s also one which fits around her training and provides a mental break from track life.
With the 2024 Paralympic Games fast-approaching, Kinghorn has made the difficult decision to miss this year’s World Championships in Kobe, Japan (in May) in favour of training for Paris. There, she will focus her attention on the track and bettering her achievements from Tokyo 2021 (400m silver, 100m bronze and a fourth place in the 800m). She is also motivated to go faster.
“When Catherine [Debrunner] took my 200m world record she thanked me afterwards for being so kind,” she says. “I was like: ‘It’s sport, that’s what’s supposed to happen, one day I’ll hopefully beat you again’. That’s how sport works and I think it’s awesome. I think my sport is amazing. I want people to go fast and I want them to be excited about how fast they’re going.
Madison de Rozario (right) and Sammi Kinghorn (centre) (Getty)
“She’s now inspired me, and to see her break barriers that people thought women would never be able to break, that’s really exciting. Now I think that I can go under 50 seconds for 400m; because she’s done it, there’s no reason why I can’t.”
Kinghorn has proved to herself that success comes from more than just training. Her “real” job on Countryfile has helped her shake off the shackles of imposterism, while more time with family and friends has ensured she’s no longer pouring from an empty cup. Happiness is key and, as long as the balance is right, anything is possible.
Kinghorn’s training has evolved from simply “get fit and get the miles in” as a younger athlete to a more specialised approach focused on maintaining consistently high speeds. “Now I do sessions that are a lot more time-based and, if I’m dropping off pace, I stop,” she explains (see Wednesday). “It’s now about making every session count – it’s not just slugging through slowly – and that’s quite a big difference.”
Monday: (am) gym; (pm) track e.g., 5 x 1km off 1km (“As fast as I can go”)
Tuesday: (am) Ski-Erg (sprint intervals – 15sec, 20sec and 30sec, multiple reps); (pm) easy roll (indoors) totalling 50-60 minutes
Wednesday: (am) track e.g., start practice then 6 x 120m, 6 x 150m. “This session would have more of a focus on speed compared to the other track sessions,” says Kinghorn. “The aim is to keep my speed high.”; (pm) gym
Thursday: (am) easy roll or speedball session. “I’m currently building up on the speedball for co-ordination, core and fast-twitch fibres – I obviously use my hands so I’m trying to speed up my hand-speed. I just enjoy it, it’s something a little bit different.”; (pm) track e.g., 12 x 300m off 500m Friday: (am) hills. If conditions are poor (icy) this would be replaced by intervals on rollers e.g., 3 x sets of 12 x 30sec off 30sec; (pm) gym
Saturday: long push of 8-12 miles (outdoors, weather dependent)
Sunday: rest day
Favourite session: pyramid training
Least favourite session: easy roll
» This article first appeared in the February issue of AW magazine, which you can read here
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