Silver medal is reward for Sam Fernando after ‘months of commitment’

Sam has been Down Under representing Great Britain at the INAS Global Games in Brisbane, Australia.

It was the athlete’s debut at the quadrennial games, which is an international, multi-sport event organised by the International Sports Federation for persons with intellectual disability

Sam won the silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase behind Quentin Foratier of France, running a fantastic new personal best of 9.58.82.

It could have been even better for Sam who narrowly missed out on the gold medal after being pipped in a sprint finish.

During a gruelling week of competition, which saw him run three races in six days, he also picked up impressive top 10 finishes in the 5000m and 10,000.

In the former, he placed fourth in 16.05 while in the latter he placed seventh in a time of 33.56.

Japanese athletes dominated the T20 10,000 metres INAS World Championships final, winning all three medals.

A spokesman for Fife AC, where Sam is a member, said: “Congratulations from everyone at the club to Sam, his family and his coach Ron Morrison.”

As well as his association with Fife AC, Sam is also closely linked to, and supported by, Disability Sport Fife.

They were glued to the coverage from Brisbane and delighted with how the local athlete fared across the disciplines.

Richard Brickley MBE/OBE, chairman of the group, said Sam’s dedication had paid off. “This is reward for months of commitment to a tough training programme set by coach Ron Morrison at Fife AC,” said Mr Brickley.

“Sam will no doubt share his success with his many training partners at Fife AC and in particular Derek Rae who has been an inspiration since they started training together in St Andrews.”