It’s funny how life has a way of circling back to the things we once swore off forever. After all, when a track star crossed the finish line of the 2018 Commonwealth Games marathon, she made a bold declaration. Never again! The grueling 26.2 miles had left her exhausted, disheartened, and vowing she was done with marathons for good. But much like Steve Redgrave once famously took back his retirement promise, she found herself drawn back to the challenge she had left behind. But who is she?
Well, she is none other than Sammi Kinghorn. From a life-altering accident at just 14 years old on her family farm to becoming a multi-medalist Paralympic wheelchair racer, Kinghorn lined up at the London Marathon, ready to rewrite her marathon story. Less than a year ago, Kinghorn stood atop the podium at Paris 2024, achieving a dream she had chased for over a decade by winning the T53 100m Paralympic title.
Her comeback to marathon racing wasn’t about unfinished business. It was about embracing her evolution as an athlete. And while the London streets weren’t easy, Kinghorn showed her grit once again, finishing seventh overall in the wheelchair division. Athletics Weekly took to X, posting, “Sammi Kinghorn reflects on her second-ever marathon and her first one in seven years ,” and for Kinghorn, that reflection was filled with a refreshing honesty.
Speaking after the race, she admitted the day wasn’t without its hiccups. “Good, it was good. As I said, I had a bit of a technical issue straight off the start, running my wheels with Robin, so I knew that it was going to make it quite a challenging race. I just kind of had to go into myself.” The early adversity of a burning arm could have derailed her mentally, but Kinghorn leaned into the struggle. Pushing through the pain, relying on pure grit.
“I had a bit of a technical issue. Straight off the start one of my wheels was rubbing so I knew it would make it challenging.”
Sammi Kinghorn reflects on her second-ever marathon and her first one in seven years
She finished seventh overall clocking a time of 1:46:54
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 27, 2025
It was clear this race wasn’t about chasing perfection; it was about reclaiming the simple joy of competition. After years of heavy pressure leading up to her Paralympic triumph, Kinghorn had promised herself a different kind of 2025. No major medals to chase, no suffocating expectations. Just racing for the love of it.
“Like, obviously, I’m going to go out hard, and I’m going to try and be as close to the front as possible, but, like, I had a good chunk of time off in January because I got married, and it was lovely, and I sat on a beach in the Maldives for a little while,” she said. After battling crippling pre-race nerves for so much of her career, often vomiting minutes before sprint finals. This more relaxed version of Kinghorn was a revelation.
Of course, the London Marathon still came with its learning curves. Navigating the crowded, fast-moving pack is a different beast compared to sprinting solo on a track. Yet even in those imperfect moments, Kinghorn found exactly what she had been searching for. A race not ruled by pressure, but by growth and enjoyment. Finishing seventh in a stacked field wasn’t just a result; it was a triumph of perspective, resilience, and personal evolution.
A new chapter focused on longevity, joy, and fresh challenges
For Sammi Kinghorn, the London Marathon wasn’t just a nostalgic return to a distance she once vowed to abandon. It was a deliberate step toward a bigger dream, making her fourth Paralympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028. Even after tasting the ultimate success with her long-awaited gold medal in Paris, Kinghorn realized the toll it had taken.
“I’m lucky that my work paid off and I got that gold medal in Paris, but my goodness, I’m knackered from it, and so I was forced to think about what I need to do for my longevity,” she said, as quoted by thenational.scot. With an eye firmly set on the future, this marathon was less about medals. More about rediscovering a passion that would sustain her through the next chapter of her career.
Reflecting on her race experience in an interview with Athletics Weekly, Kinghorn revealed just how much untapped potential she feels she still has in marathon racing. “I think I could go faster; I think I could go a lot faster,” she shared. The London Marathon, despite the early challenges, offered her exactly what she needed. A sense of possibility and unfinished business.
Kinghorn further continued with, “Sort my wheel out, and then I’ll be ready to go,” hinting at how technical refinements could help her unlock even better performances in the future. For an athlete who has always thrived on setting new goals, the idea of chasing marathon improvements at her own pace, on her terms, felt refreshing. As for the months ahead, Kinghorn is keeping things light.
Fueled by the simple joy of racing rather than the crushing weight of expectations. “Yeah, I want to have a fun year, you know. I did so much last year, and physically and mentally, it was very, very tiring, and this year, I don’t want any of that stress and pressure,” she said. Instead, she’s plotting a year of combining racing with a bit of adventure.
Kinghorn approached this marathon with a mindset centered entirely on personal achievement rather than external validation. She embraced the difficulty of the challenge, knowing that regardless of the outcome, the experience itself would be worthwhile. For her, success was measured not by podium finishes but by the satisfaction of pushing herself and enjoying the race.
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