Gold next target on Robertson's 'tremendous journey'

Joanna Robertson says her sporting life has been a "tremendous journey", with the next stop the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she is targeting gold in the T54 1500m and 400m wheelchair races.

Seven years ago, the Aberdeenshire athlete was paralysed from the waist down after a car accident. Before that, she had been a keen but not competitive swimmer.

After the accident, her physiotherapist encouraged her to get back into sport and one role model in particular captured her imagination.

"I remember at the time, she showed me Sammy Kinghorn racing in the Olympics", the 24-year-old told BBC Scotland.

"When I saw that, I really wanted to give that a go. So that's when I first tried out with wheelchair racing."

Fellow Scot Kinghorn is a three-time world champion and the 30-year-old won Paralympic gold in the T53 100m class in Paris two years ago.

"Wheelchair racing offers so much in the way of challenges, goals and ambitions," Robertson suggested. "I never was competitive, but it was when I became injured that I got the challenge.

"I thought, 'oh, I want to see what I can do wheelchair racing'. I haven't looked back since. I've done a lot of road races and then challenged the track work.

"My coach, Philip Owens, has been keeping me on the right track. It's been a tremendous journey.

"I have been doing a lot of the marathon races where I went and competed in the London Marathon, Shanghai Marathon. I competed abroad in Switzerland quite a few times. This year, we were down in Australia for their summer, which was incredible.

"I'm very privileged and lucky to be able to do the sport that I love full-time as well."

She says representing her homeland in Scotland this year will be a career highlight, with Robertson selected along with compatriots and fellow wheelchair racers Sean Frame and Ben Sandilands.

"It's such a prideful moment to be able to put on the colours of your home and to represent your homeland," Robertson said. "It was a big day for me when I got that vest.

"To have my friends and family so close by as well and cheering us on. It will always give that extra push as well that every athlete needs.

"We're ramping up the training, making sure we've got loads of the sprints and the speed endurance in there as well and aiming for gold if we can.

"That's the plan. Is it realistic? Oh, we'll make it realistic."

Prior to becoming a full-time athlete, Robertson worked for the charity Spinal Injury Scotland.

"I wanted to help support those who are newly injured because it's a whole new world for people," she said. "I hope now I can be the inspiration that I needed when I was first injured and when I was first getting into the sport.

"I hope to give back what I gained from the other top athletes."

Robertson was speaking as Team Scotland named its para athletics squad for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Paralympic champions Ben Sandilands and Owen Miller are set to make their Commonwealth Games debuts while Birmingham 2022 silver medallist Sean Frame is also included.

Also making his Team Scotland debut is Steven Stone in the T20 Long Jump.

Frame hopes to emulate his Birmingham success when he takes part in a "once in a lifetime opportunity" in Glasgow.

The 29-year-old took silver in the T53/54 marathon four years ago and he will compete in the T54 1500m this time round.

"It's a much shorter event," he said. "Obviously, you need to be a lot more on the ball when it comes to the event. You've got no margin for error."

Frame looked back upon his 2022 Games as an "amazing experience".

"It was the first competition I was at at that level, international wise," he said.

Of the upcoming Games, he said: "Even though I've lived down in the Borders most of my life, I'm originally from Glasgow. My family will be able to see me compete. It means so much to me.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that very few athletes get to experience. I couldn't ask for a better venue.

"It's going to be a big challenge. I'm going to go out there and I'm aiming for a podium."

Fife's Sandilands wants to add Commonwealth gold to the Paralympic gold he won for Team GB in Paris two years ago.

The 22-year-old broke the world record in the French capital, posting a time of 3:45.40 in the T2 1500m.

The Pitreavie middle-distance runner wants to better that time in Glasgow, this time in a Team Scotland vest.

He says it's a "different feeling" running for Scotland and that his watchword in training between now and the Games in the summer is simple.

According to Ben, it's all about "focus".