Leicester Tigers will welcome Paralympian and the fastest ever British female wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorne to Welford Road in next month’s Business Club event.
Having set the pace in the sport, Sammi races for Team GB in a number of events including the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m T53 classification.
The Business Club, sponsored by club partner Mattioli Woods, will take place on Wednesday, February 5, and welcomes businesses to the home of Leicester Tigers throughout the season offering the chance to network and hear from guest speakers.
Currently training ahead of the Paralympics in Tokyo later this summer, we caught up with Sammi as she took time out of her training camp in Australia to hear more about her journey ahead of her guest speaker appearance at the Business Club next month.
“It’s been pretty full-on but I really enjoy the training side of the sport”, she explains. “We’ve been here for five weeks and it is all about getting myself physically ready ahead before we start racing competitively.”
“The nearer you get to an event, the more you can over think things, so having something specific – like training – to focus on actually helps prepare you for the time trials.
Heralding from a small town called Gordon in the Scottish Borders, Sammi suffered a life changing injury when she was just 14 years old. After being introduced to the sport in 2011, she achieved international stardom at the World Champions in 2017 becoming a double world champion.
“I was in hospital for six months following my injury, and being a wheelchair user, I tried every sport when I was able to.
“I remember I was watching a wheelchair race and I watched this women go faster than everyone around the track – from that point, I knew straight away that I wanted to do that.”
Her success on the track is unmatched and is the current world and European record holder over 200m.
With the club boasting its own successful wheelchair rugby team, Sammi champions that ‘can do’ attitude and would encourage anyone to take up a sport and ‘just try it.’
“Disability sports have grown in popularity and competitiveness. In my line of work, you’re competing against the world’s best in their classification and the more people that get involved, support and encourage disability sports – the more they will continue to grow.”
Alongside her racing, Sammi spends her time visiting and speaking in schools to help them to understand disabilities.
“I enjoy talking to the kids and am often asked to speak to groups to deliver workshops around disability. It is something I have actually discovered I love doing and if I can inspire just one individual then I am proud of that.”
Guests will be able to hear more about Sammi’s journey on Wednesday, February 5 which starts at 12.00pm.
Places are still available to book onto the first Business Club event of 2020 and you can find out more details by contacting the Tigers corporate sales team on 0116 217 1215 or clicking the link below.
