Coach hails ‘exceptional’ Ben’s prize nomination
Ross Hart REPORTER
THE coach of Para Athletics World Championship title winner Ben Sandilands has said it is “great to see him recognised” for his achievements in his first season as a para athlete.
Steve Doig has praised the talented 20-year-old for starting his career in the sport “exceptionally well” ahead of Saturday’s scottishathletics and jogscotland 4J Studios Annual Awards Dinner.
Ben, who is a member of Fife AC alongside Owen Miller, the current T20 classification 1500 metres Paralympic champion, raced to victory in the same event at the world championships in Paris during the summer.
The duo, along with Victoria Park City of Glasgow’s Steven Bryce, are members of a training group led by Steve that meet at Pitreavie Athletics Centre, and were all competing in the same race in France.
Former Woodmill High School pupil Owen, 31, in his second World Championship representing Great Britain, finished seventh, whilst Steven, racing in his first such competition, was 13th.
Fellow debutant Ben, from Kirkcaldy, stormed to a stunning gold medal after moving up from fifth in the final 250m, and his achievements have seen him shortlisted for Para Athlete of the Year at this weekend’s glittering ceremony.
He has been nominated alongside wheelchair racer Samantha Kinghorn, who won T53 100m gold in Paris, and Gavin Drysdale, who raced to gold in the men’s T72 100m.
Steve, who has been shortlisted for Performance Development Coach of the Year and Para Performance Coach of the Year, said: “It’s great to see him recognised for his achievements in his first season as a para athlete.
“He started his para career exceptionally well when he broke the European T20 1500m record in Dubai, and surpassed this performance when he broke his own record and won the World Para 1500m championship at the first attempt.
Interestingly, this means that Scottish athletes have won the last four global 1500m titles.
“It’s a measure strength of para of the athletics within Scotland when you consider that the other nominees in the Para Athlete of the Year category - Sammi Kinghorn and Gavin Drysdale - are also world champions from Paris.”
Former Pitreavie AAC star, Eilidh Doyle, will be guest of honour at the awards, which will be held in Glasgow on Saturday evening.