The newly topped Paralympic T20 and world 1500m champion on his coaching regime, Paris 2024 and his unimaginable season thus far
Fife AC’s Ben Sandilands – topped world 1500m champion in Paris in 2023 (within the T20 class for athletes with an mental impairment) – opens up concerning the coaching programme that helped him win Paralympic gold within the French capital.
Sandilands set a brand new world file of three:45.40 on the Stade de France – breaking American Mikey Brannigan’s 3:45.50 – to make the highest of the rostrum.
The 21-year-old had a lifetime greatest of three:47.02 and earlier than Paris 2024 received the ambulant 1500m on the London Athletics Meet in July. His mile better of 4:06.02 was the fifth-fastest in Scotland in 2023, whereas his 3000m PB (8:11.80) ranks him within the Scottish high 20 for the yr thus far.
Sandilands is coached by Steve Doig and trains in a combined capacity group alongside fellow Nice Britain internationals Owen Miller, the Tokyo Paralympic T20 1500m champion, and Steven Bryce, his T20 1500m team-mate on the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
“Owen is certainly an inspiration and has been actually optimistic [about the Paralympic Games], as has Steven,” says Sandilands, who first joined Doig’s group at Fife AC on the age of 9.
“Owen has at all times been there,” provides Sandilands’ mum, Claire. “I feel he’s very like Ben and he’s simply instructed him to benefit from the expertise and to deal with the race like every other!”
Ben Sandilands (Getty)
Athletes within the T20 class can discover it exhausting to soak up data, significantly in competitors environments, and for Sandilands that may imply issue in remembering race directions, pacing, or probably even how far he’s operating.
Observe laps are, in concept, simpler to compute, however Sandilands’ expertise just isn’t restricted to the 1500m. In March he ran the second-fastest brief leg total as Fife AC completed fifth on the Scottish Nationwide Highway Relays, and in Might he was third on the Scottish 5km Highway Championships in 14:25 (his 5km PB is 14:17 from April 2024 and ranks him twelfth quickest in Scotland this yr).
Beforehand, he has represented Scotland in cross nation; actually, when he made his debut on the Antrim Worldwide Cross Nation in January 2018, he made household historical past.
Over 100 years in the past, his nice, nice grandfather George Sandilands had additionally earned his first Scotland vest, ending fourth within the 100 yards on the Scotland versus Eire worldwide athletics occasion at Ibrox Park, Glasgow in 1910.
“I didn’t find out about my nice, nice grandfather till my Pops gave me his 1910 Scotland Cap after my very own debut for Scotland in Eire,” he says. “I’m very proud to have it.”
Now blazing his personal path, Ben Sandilands is impressed by the unimaginable athletics achievements of household, buddies and team-mates.
Josh Kerr (Getty)
“It was nice to observe Josh [Kerr] and Laura [Muir] within the Olympics, he says. “We educated early on the evening of Josh’s 1500m last so we might watch it collectively on the observe and it was actually thrilling. I noticed Laura’s race at dwelling and I used to be so happy she acquired a PB. I additionally take pleasure in watching the Six Nations rugby on the Stade de France.”
As Sandilands moved up by the age teams he has added a second session on a Thursday and elevated the length of his regular Sunday run. He additionally launched gymnasium work and aqua-jogging to his coaching programme in latest months.
“He loves each,” says his mum. “Typically he’s so drained he struggles to get out of the pool, however fortunately the pool workers, together with his sister Katie who works there as a lifeguard, are glorious and really accommodating.”
His straightforward runs are finished to time reasonably than distance.
“There’s not likely any must adapt classes [for Ben] as we’ve benefitted from having some glorious mainstream athletes inside the group who’ve taken on the burden of tempo making,” explains coach Doig. “The help offered by different athletes inside the group has been instrumental in establishing the T20 athletes for the success they’ve had, and I’m extraordinarily grateful to all of the athletes who’ve made a contribution on this approach.”
Ben Sandilands (Getty)
A typical coaching week
Monday: relaxation day
Tuesday: (am) 30min straightforward run; (pm) observe session e.g., 10min tempo – 1200m/1000m/800m/800m (200m restoration after reps/400m restoration after last rep) – 4 x 500m (200m restoration after every 500m/400m restoration after last run) – 4 x 250m (150m after every 250m/400m restoration after last run) – 6min tempo
Wednesday: 45min straightforward run
Thursday: (am) 30min straightforward run; (pm) observe session
Friday: 30-45min straightforward run
Saturday: observe session e.g., 10min tempo – 5 x 800m (100m restoration after reps/800m restoration after last run) – 3 x 500m (300m/200m differentials, 800m restoration) – 6min tempo
Sunday: 90min approx.
Favorite session: “I take pleasure in observe classes with the group as a result of I really like the social aspect of coaching, in addition to the exhausting work. I additionally like operating 200m reps as a result of I can run the bend quick and it makes me really feel good!”
Least favorite session: “Grass loops within the park, particularly if I’m by myself.”
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