Super Sammi wins T53 100m World gold with Championship Record

Saturday 15th July 2023

Photo via Getty Images for British Athletics

Samantha Kinghorn claimed gold in the World Para Champs T53 Women’s 100m final – in a dramatic race in Paris.

The Scottish multiple medallist clocked a new Championship Record of 15.93 in a tight finish from Swtizerland’s Catherine Debrunner.

It repeats Sammi’s London 2017 100m title triumph and makes it two medals – so far – in the Stage Charlety in Paris after 800m silver earlier in the week.

Joint-captain of the GB and NI team in France, the Borders athlete has recently landed a top job as a presenter with the BBC Series Countryfile – after growing up on a farm.

But there is clearly no let-up to her athletics exploits on the global stage.

‘I wanted to become world champion, and to do it today is an incredible feeling,’ Sammi told British Athletics.

Sammi celebrates her 800m silver medal earlier this week with coach Rodger Harkins (photo by Pamela Robson)

‘I was really chilled going into it but I honestly didn’t think I had it in me but I knew I had to focus on my own race.

‘All I could control was myself, so my coach left me with the simple words of ‘fast, fast, fast!’ Even when I crossed the line I didn’t know if I had won it, so I was just waiting for my name to come up. When it did, it was such an incredible feeling.

‘I just burst into tears. I could see my mum in the crowd, she was already on the phone, probably talking to all my family already. My dad and boyfriend are here too, so it is lovely to share this moment with them all.

‘I knew I was in good shape and I’ve been dragged around to fast times in training. I’ve been training with Hannah (Cockroft) and Nathan (Maguire) so they have been pushing me hard.

??Samantha Kinghorn takes gold in the 100m T53 with a new championship record of 15.93!

?Catherine Debrunner ??
?Fang Gao ??#PARIS23 @BritAthletics @Paralympics @ParaSport pic.twitter.com/KUhwmqiAww

— #ParaAthletics #PARIS23 (@ParaAthletics) July 14, 2023