Meenagh relishes inspiring next-gen
Paralympian has packed a lot into his 32 years, and is happy to give back by sharing the magic of sport
SCOTTISH Paralympian Scott Meenagh has an abundance of life experience for someone aged 32. The Team GB Para Nordic Skier finds it is rewarding to pass on some of his wisdom to aspiring sports students.
The former paratrooper was on hand last week to inspire the next generation at the University of the West of Scotland, discussing his journey from the military to becoming an elite athlete.
Meenagh lost both legs above the knee at just 21 while serving his country. He told students about his time with the armed forces and the life-changing incident in Helmand province. In vivid detail, Meenagh explained how his life flashed before his eyes after stepping on an improvised explosive device, planted in the ground by the Taliban.
In a moving discussion, Meenagh said sport gave him a purpose during his recovery.
Fresh from his best Paralympic result where he finished sixth in the biathlon at Beijing 2022, the Cumbernauld man was grateful for the opportunity to engage with youngsters.
“It’s a privilege,” he said. “It means a lot to me to have a partnership with the university. It feels like I’m giving a little bit back for all the help I’ve received.
“I’m incredibly passionate about young people going on a journey and getting involved in sport. I like to share the magic in sport at all levels.
“Hopefully I’ve been able to share some things as they embark into this world. Maybe I’ll be able to help them open their eyes to more than what’s just right in front of them.
“I’m very proud of myself to have the bravery to be able to embark on a journey and not tap out and spend my life on the couch. It would have been easy to. Unfortunately, a lot of people have.
“I’ve found a very healthy, sustainable passion which has given me a hunger and thirst for life, growth and development.
“No medal would ever replace the lessons and the people I’ve met along the way to get here. It’s been incredible. If I hadn’t decided to throw my hat into something and get off the couch, I wouldn’t be sat here today.”
Meenagh is clearly made of tough stuff. His resilience shone through when he addressed the students. He reckons his
“Maybe I’ll be able to help them open their eyes to more than what’s just right in front of them
experience in the military has stood him in great stead for his career as an athlete, always trying to stay level-headed, never getting too high or low.
“You do a lot of the hard training alone,” he said. “You spend a lot of hours out in some poor weather. There’s a lot of days when you look out the window and think ‘I could give this a pass today’. But you have to have the discipline to get up and go.
“I think it’s no mistake that some of the guys that I race against are ex-professional fighters or ex-navy seals. Guys who operated at a very high level before their own injuries. The sport attracts people who like a tough challenge. You need to be robust, resilient and able to make good decisions.
“My life experiences before sport have taught me never to take it too seriously. I’m very good at not letting sport dictate my mood too much.
“Although we take sport very seriously, it’s a privilege to do it. Contrary to what we believe at the weekends when football is on, it’s not life or death. I’ve been in life or death situations. I think it gives me great perspective.”
As part of his guest lecture, Meenagh was on hand to officially unveil the university’s BASES (The British Association of Sports and Exercise Science) accreditation. This summer, the laboratories at the Lanarkshire campus became the first in Scotland to receive the mark of quality assurance.
Meenagh made the presentation alongside Professor Chris Easton, head of the Division of Sport and Exercise at UWS.
Meenagh and Easton first struck up a professional relationship in 2018, when the former was seeking a training facility for the Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
“It’s an incredible facility,” Meenagh said. “There’s no lab in the world with a view like this.
“More importantly, the reception and the positive relationships with the people here are amazing. Their support and flexibility have been great.
“Testament to that was the amount of support that we had at late notice at a really critical time during our Olympic preparation. That says everything.
“It’s truly world class. If this is the only place you’ve seen, it’s difficult to compare and contrast. I’ve been around the world and been in high performance facilities. I can assure you this is right up there with the best.
“Most laboratories are windowless. They’ll maybe have one or two pieces of equipment. They’re fairly dreadful places to spend time. The set-up here and the expansive nature of it is really useful.
“The extreme conditions chamber, it’s not a little cupboard, it’s a space that you can actually function in. That’s conducive to good performance as well.
“I was able to do some of my really important sessions in that base in the lead up to the Games. You wouldn’t have wanted to spend as much time as that in many chambers.”
Professor Easton says the accreditation for the labs is vital.
“We’ve operated at a high level for a number of years. It’s testament to the standards that we’ve set in the laboratory spaces,” he said.
“We’ve worked with Scott and many other elite athletes over the last few years. Hopefully it gives them and their teams confidence that when we’re providing them with data that it’s robust and rigorous because it’s been tested to accreditation standards.”