Athletics: Family's immense pride as blistering Ben Sandilands wins T20 1500m Para Athletics World crown in record time

Sandilands – watched at the Charlety Stadium by mum and dad Claire and Rory, plus brother Jake and coach Steve Doig – was fifth with just 200m remaining but produced a blistering finish to take the honours in 3.52.42, breaking his own European record and setting a new championship record.

Delighted Claire told the Fife Free Press: "I think we’re all like: ‘Wow, did that actually happen?’

"Ben is very young and it was his first major event.

"He was anxious about it because he realised it was a different level of running to what he’s used to.

"Wearing the Great Britain vest was a huge accolade to him. I think Ben ran very maturely.

"He is a runner who worries about being boxed in, he’s very anxious when he runs. It’s part of his T20 status.

"When he’s in the middle of the pack I can see he’s kind of up and down, he’s worrying about how he’ll get out.

"But this time I think he went in with a lot of belief, he just stuck in there and gaps did appear.

"He is always told by his coach Steve that gaps will appear, just sit in, etcetera.

"He was very boxed in so he had to come back a bit then make a rush for it.

"By then I thought the gap to the leader was going to be too much for Ben because it was a huge gap.

"But he obviously just decided that he had that speed in him and ran an exceptionally great finish. It was wonderful to watch, it really, really was.

"Ben is delighted that he won his gold medal and made Steve happy.

"We are so grateful to Steve because obviously T20 athletes do need a lot of support which they did have in the Great Britain team which made their lives really easy so they just got on with the running.”

Ben was part of a trio of Fife athletes – all coached at Pitreavie by the aforementioned Doig – who contested Monday’s final, with Fife AC’s Owen Miller finishing seventh in 3.58.22 and Steven Bryce, a member of Victoria Park City of Glasgow Athletics Club, coming 13th in 4.03.80.

Claire said that Ben’s affinity to his Fife team-mates Miller and Bryce is so strong that her son actually felt “guilty and upset” at winning when neither of his two friends got medals.

Meanwhile, this Sunday will see Sandilands, Miller and Bryce all compete in a para 1500m race at a Wanda Diamond League Series meeting – also featuring mainstream athletes who are stars of the Commonwealth Games, European and World Championships – at the London Stadium.

“Para races have been organised for the event too which is a fantastic thing to do,” Claire said. “Owen, Ben and Steven and other para athletes – not all T20s – other T designations, will run together over 1500m so he’s got that race to look forward to in front of a fuller crowd than he’s used to.”

Prior to competing in disability athletics, Ben also excelled in mainstream racing as in 2022 he won the senior men’s 1500m at the Scottish Senior Championships in 3mins 48.47secs and the Welsh International Men’s under-20 800m – breaking the stadium record – when representing Scotland in Swansea.

But, after his diagnosis in spring last year of dyslexia and autism causing intellectual impairment, Sandilands went on a different path towards competing internationally at T20 level, a class where participants have ‘intellectual impairment’.

This condition means that they have a restriction in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour in which affects conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills required for everyday life.

Competing in disability athletics also means that Ben is targeting an appearance at its most prestigious event – the Paralympics, with the next staging of this also due to be in Paris from August 28 to September 8, 2024.

"I think the Paralympics is definitely something Ben is definitely looking to run in and do his best,” Claire said.

"I think he’ll remember this week’s race in Paris and that will give him a lot of confidence next summer. He now realises he can do it and he really enjoyed it.

"He’s got to be selected, then hopefully he’s fit enough and we’ll take it from there.

"Owen, who is 31 now, is the reigning T20 1500m Paralympic champion and he should be so proud of his title."