SCOTLAND’S Paralympians have been congratulated for their “inspirational” performances by the First Minister as the Games draw to a close in Paris.
A total of 21 Scottish athletes took part in the Games in the French capital securing 11 gold medals, eight silver and one bronze, contributing to Team GB’s overall total of 124.
Athletes from Scotland broke numerous records in pursuit of gold medals, including swimmer Stephen Clegg who set a world record time in the S12 backstroke and wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn who set a new Paralympic record for the women’s T53 100m.
Jenny Holl also set a world record in piloting for Sophie Unwin in the women’s B 3000m individual cycling pursuit while Ben Sandilands set a world record as he claimed gold in the T20 1500m.
“I want to pay tribute to and congratulate all of the ParalympicsGB squad, including the 21 Scots on the team, for your performances in Paris,” said John Swinney.
READ MORE: Return to scene of infamous Portugal loss perilous for Steve Clarke
“You are all athletes at the top of your field, and Scotland has been cheering you on throughout these Games.
“Your performances will inspire people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to take up sport, achieve their own goals and become more active in their own lives. The next generation will be inspired by where you are now, and the Scottish Government and partners will work to ensure there will be opportunities for them to follow suit.”
Other Scottish gold medals included Hamilton’s Stephen McGuire winning the BC4 men’s individual boccia title and Nathan McQueen of Dumfries who partnered Jodie Grinham in winning the archery mixed team compound final.
Forbes Dunlop, CEO of sportscotland, said: “There have been some extremely strong performances from our athletes, including personal bests, Paralympic and world records and a very impressive haul of medals, demonstrating the enormous level of commitment and talent across the team.
READ MORE: Elliot Anderson confirms he won't represent Scotland at senior level
“All of this success is down to years of hard work from the athletes, their coaches and their wider support teams including Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport and the sportscotland institute of sport and we are proud to be part of the ‘team behind team’ supporting the athletes.”
Gavin Macleod, CEO of Scottish Disability Sport, said: “Congratulations to all the Scottish Paralympians and their significant support networks in Paris.
“The performances are testimony to the inclusive approach Scottish governing bodies of sport are taking to ensuring para-athletes are supported.
“Not all of us will be able to reach the heights of these international high-performance athletes however, what we can do is commit to working in partnership to ensure that children, young people and adults can access quality PE, comprehensive sporting opportunities and the chance to move more every day.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel