Ingram has warm words for stricken Scots judoka Inglis
SAM INGRAM, the Scottish Paralympic judoka, said last night that the thoughts of the entire judo community were with Stephanie Inglis as she recuperates from the motorbike crash in Vietnam which caused her to be put into a medically-induced coma.
Speaking 100 days out from the opening ceremony at the Rio Paralympics, Ingram threw his support behind Inglis, the 2014 Glasgow silver medallist from Inverness, who is currently recuperating in a Bangkok hospital.
“For sure Stephanie is in everyone’s minds,” said Ingram, born in Coventry but now competing under the Scottish flag.
“I don’t think it is just the judoka, for instance the swimming guys have been asking me about her too. There has been a lot of support for Steph and it is fantastic to see the public and athletic support around her injury.
“I just hope that Steph is in a good condition, and that she will be all better by the summer and there in Rio to watch the events,” added Ingram, speaking at St Ninians Primary School in Stirling for the launch of the 2016 Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards.
“I know her well, I was in her training group for a long time. She obviously competed at the Commonwealth Games and I was Euan Burton’s training partner for the Commonwealth Games so I was around her a lot. I know it is hard to say in this environment because she is so ill, but she will do everything she can to get better.”
In judo, Paralympians and Olympians frequently practise together at a training base in Ratho, near Edinburgh. It is an enviable advantage to have over some of the other competing nations.
“For a long time now, the Paralympic team in judo has been training alongside the Olympic team,” said Ingram. “I think it started around Beijing time and it has just gone from strength to strength. I don’t think we are the only nation in the world doing it but there are some nations like other European ones where you would expect them all to be training together and they are not. We are really forward thinking that way, and that has helped us become exceptional athletes.”
With a bronze from Beijing and a silver from London, Ingram reckons it would be “nice to get a gold” this time around. Ranked third in the world in his category from last year’s World Championships, his main competition is Georgia’s Zviad Gogocthuri. “I will probably meet my main competitor, who is ranked No 1, in the semis,” he said. “But if I am going to win the tournament I will probably have to beat him in the semi-final or the final.”
There are no quibbles about the standard of facility. “I went to the Olympic test event which was pretty much similar to the Paralympic test event,” he said. “I’ve been to the actual venue and been to the holding camp a couple of times, which is in Belo Horizonte, one of the supporting cities.
“The facilities there are great. Paralympics GB have done really well to get us out there and get us used to that environment.”