Paralympics 2024: Sammi Kinghorn beats Catherine Debrunner to win 100m gold

Sammi Kinghorn expressed her excitement at winning her first Paralympic gold medal, saying it was "completely amazing" to achieve this milestone in the T53 100m race in Paris.

The 28-year-old from Britain set a new Paralympic record with a time of 15.64 seconds at Stade de France, narrowly beating Catherine Debrunner.

After Kinghorn won two silver medals in the 800m and 1500m events earlier in the Games, she was beaten by Swiss competitors in both races.

She has collected a total of five Paralympic medals so far, including a bronze and silver from the games in Tokyo three years ago.

Debrunner, who previously achieved first place in the 5000m race in Paris, earned the second-place silver medal with a time of 15.77. Gao Fang, who won the gold medal in Tokyo, finished in third place with a time of 16.61 to take the bronze.

"I can't wrap my head around the fact that I actually did that," Kinghorn exclaimed.

I did not want to get too ahead of myself in celebrating. I just wanted to be absolutely certain that my name was the first on that screen. It took a moment for me to gather myself and realize, "Wow, I actually did it."

Kinghorn made history by becoming the first athlete from a country other than China to win the Paralympic T53 100m event since Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson of Britain achieved this feat in Athens in 2004.

The Scot and Debrunner will compete against each other once more on Thursday in the 400m race.

Britain has won a total of seven medals in Para-athletics in Paris, and Kinghorn has contributed three of them.

Silver Sammi has cease to exist.

"Oh, winning a gold medal would be absolutely fantastic," she exclaimed during her interview with the BBC on Tuesday, following her second-place finish in the 1500m. It didn't take long for her to achieve that dream.

The enthusiasm she showed when ringing the victory bell at the Stade de France revealed how thrilling and emotional it was for her to add to her collection of medals.

"I cried continuously as I completed my victory lap, just couldn't stop crying," she shared.

When I won my first Paralympic medals in Tokyo, it was a bittersweet moment for me because there were no spectators in the stands. However, I was surrounded by 29 people holding up posters of my face. Winning in front of them was truly meaningful because even though my sport is individual, I have a great team supporting me.

Kinghorn was just 14 years old when she injured her back in a farm accident in 2010. She was hit by snow and ice that fell from a roof, causing her back to break.

She stayed in Southern General Hospital in Glasgow for six months before receiving the news that she would be unable to walk again.

She explained that after the accident, her body was completely broken. However, through training, she was able to rebuild it and this process helped her come to terms with her new self.

The therapist at the spinal unit in Glasgow played a crucial role in my recovery. Without her support, I may not have been able to make it through. She recognized my potential and encouraged me to explore various sports, which I had always been passionate about before my injury.

I decided to give wheelchair racing a try and Ian Thompson, who is married to Tanni-Grey Thompson, told me, "You have potential in this." It was a turning point for me. I had just experienced something very challenging, and I wasn't sure if I would be successful at anything again. But hearing those words gave me hope and made me determined to pursue wheelchair racing.

Kinghorn won her first Paralympic gold medal after achieving three world championship titles. Her most recent victory was in the 100m race in Paris last year, where she defeated Debrunner.

There is a possibility for both athletes to win more medals in Paris. Kinghorn will compete in the 4x100m universal relay on Friday after the 400m race on Thursday, while Debrunner will also participate in the marathon on Sunday.

During the morning session on Wednesday, British athlete Karim Chan, 23, narrowly missed winning a bronze medal in the T38 long jump event. His best jump of 6.39m was surpassed by Jose Gregorio Lemos Rivas of Colombia by just one centimeter in the final round.

Khetag Khinchagov, from the neutral team of Paralympic athletes, won the gold medal with a jump of 6.52 meters, narrowly beating China's Zhong Huanghao who jumped 6.50 meters.

In the event, 'Blade Jumper' Markus Rehm continues to reign as the champion, securing his fourth Paralympic long jump gold with a magnificent jump of 8.13m.

Rehm, who lost his right leg below the knee in a wakeboarding accident back in 2003, now uses a specialized prosthesis to jump. He currently holds the world record for the ninth longest jump of all time, measuring at 8.72m.

He cannot participate in the Olympics because it was decided that using his artificial leg to jump gives him a benefit over athletes who do not have prosthetics.

A top athlete, Tatyana McFadden, who has won at the Paralympics eight times, came in second place and won a silver medal in the T54 100m race.

The American set a new record in the morning races at the Paralympics, finishing in 15:55 seconds. However, Belgium's Lea Bayekula surpassed that time in the final, coming in at 15.50.

McFadden's score of 15.67 earned her second place, while Amanda Kotaja of Finland won third place with a score of 15.77.