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Samantha Kinghorn on gruelling and rewarding Commonwealth Games

Samantha Kinghorn
Image: Samantha Kinghorn enjoyed all challenges on and off the Commonwealth stage

Nothing much daunts Samantha Kinghorn.

With no wheelchair sprinting events at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, the 22-year-old Scot opted instead for burning arms and battered hands over 1500m and 26.2 miles.

It's no wonder she's thrilled at the prospect of meeting a shark during a well-earned break on the Queensland coast.

The Sky Sports Scholar and double world champion describes her tarmac battles, how she almost wiped out a feathered local friend and her next targets.


It was a crazy few weeks. Because it was a multi-sport and able-bodied event it was refreshing mixing with everybody.

There was even a smoothie bar with ice creams, plus the surrounding area was so beautiful and the training on the smooth roads was great.

I've had a pressure-free season because I had such a great 2017 at the London Worlds and I was at the Commonwealths in the 1500m and marathon - not my usual sprinting. But I know the pressure will rise on me next year with my own events.

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Samantha Kinghorn battled to fourth in only her second marathon
Image: Samantha battled to fourth in only her second marathon

I do like to remove myself from pressure situations though and I don't like to hang around the training ground! It also gets a bit boring and so I often jumped on a tram with my mum and a friend and got away from the competition environment.

I went to the zoo which was amazing and made me forget about everything else. I know being an athlete is my job and I need to compete well but it can be scary with the pressure.

The kangaroos were my favourite. They were so soft and I didn't expect that. The koalas were also cute but they do sleep a lot and smell funny!

Despite the marathon lurking on the horizon on the last day of competition, I had to stay focused for the 1500m. I was up against the highly-rated Australians and so my goal was top six.

It was a case of being aggressive but not pushing too much - and sleeping! It helps reduces my stress levels because I do get nervous.

Because of my sprinting skills, I knew my rivals would try to keep me out wide and so I was pleased just to get close to them. I got pushed to the outside a few times and that killed my sprint at the end! I was pleased with fourth.

The marathon was five days later and it was so scary! It was only my second one and I wondered 'what if fifth in Chicago had been a fluke! What if I finished last?' It was a huge unknown. I also had a few nightmares before, dreaming of getting punctures and crashing. That didn't help!

I knew the course would be twisty and it was with mixed classifications so I was racing more abled girls. The twists meant it was harder because other athletes could swing their chairs around corners, lean out and stay stable - I had to slow down because of my core control.

The other girls worked out I wasn't so good on the corners so they were able to kick on.

We had a funny moment and a 'girly scream' when we saw a bird with a really long beak waddling across the road! We didn't know whether to brake or swerve! We didn't hit it though and it calmly just walked across.

Samantha
Image: The Australian racers were a tough match for Samantha (right)

I was worried about concentration and one of the guys on the team gave me a word quiz. I soon figured that out but it was easy to get distracted. I was trying not to look at anything too much, but I was also aware of not wanting to look like someone getting tired! I do remember passing three cheesecake factories!

My neck hurt the most. I'm used to looking down in the sprints, but in the marathon you're looking up and with your arms - they are just going round and round and round! They were burning.

The first 10k was really fast and I did a PB in the first half. After 17 miles I was sore but I felt good again between miles 21-25 and the last mile was so tough. The hill at the end was definitely getting steeper! I was thinking about my six-week holiday with my mum to keep me going.

Chasing something shiny is the ultimate goal but I knew I'd be happy with top six. I was really happy with fourth and I couldn't have done any more. I'd like to see those girls who had done 20 marathons racing over 100m!

I wasn't that hungry after the race because you just feel sick and your body is so tight, but I did manage to have waffles and a glass of wine.

That's enough marathons for now! Maybe when I'm older I'll go back. I've got more business in the sprints and there's so much more I want to achieve. My arms definitely want to go back to some easy pushes and go super-fast again!

And so I'm in the middle of six weeks visiting Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Adelaide and New Zealand before coming home.

I can't wait for snorkelling on the barrier reef. I will be really upset if I don't see a shark! I could fight them off though if there's any trouble - I've heard you just punch them on the nose so no problem!

When I get back I'll do some local races and see where I'm at. I've done a few sprints in training and it felt good so there's no problem with my speed. I'll need some work on fast starts because my build-up to the Commonwealths was all about endurance rather than power.

I'm changing all that so I can get back to going fast again!

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