Kayleigh Haggo

Last updated
Kayleigh Haggo
Personal information
Born (1999-02-01) 1 February 1999 (age 25)
Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland, U.K.
Sport
Sport
Disability class BC2

Kayleigh Haggo (born 1 February 1999) is a Scottish boccia player, frame runner, and para swimmer. She is scheduled to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris in boccia in the women's individual and mixed team events. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Haggo was born in Irvine and grew up in Ayr. Although she attended a mainstream school growing up, Haggo was not involved in school sports, as school staff were unsure how to accommodate her cerebral palsy. [3]

She attended Ayrshire College, where she studied Coaching and Developing Sport. [3]

Athletic career

As of 2024, Haggo works as a Disability Inclusion Trainer for Scottish Disability Sport, and runs trainings for PE teachers on how to accommodate disabled students. [3] She previously worked in South Ayrshire, where she was an Active Schools coordinator beginning in 2021. [4] [5] She also runs Inspire, an organization which serves disabled children and young adults involved with sport. [6]

Para athletics

Haggo began frame running at age 12, and would travel to Glasgow weekly to train. By age 13, she was competing internationally in the sport. [3] At the 2012 European Para Youth Games in Brno, Czech Republic, Haggo won three gold medals. [7] She also attended the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as a spectator, which sparked her goal of competing at the Paralympics. [8]

After several years as a para swimmer, Haggo returned to frame running in 2018, when the sport was taken up by World Para Athletics. [3] [7] She represented Great Britain at the 2018 European Para Athletics Championships. [9] In 2019, she won the inaugural women's 100m RR3 event at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai with a time of 18:32. [10] [7] In 2021, she won a gold medal in frame running at the Para-athletics European Championships in Poland. [2]

Haggo hoped to attend the Paralympics as a frame runner, but the event was not included in the 2024 Summer Paralympics lineup. [3] As of 2024, she remains the world record holder for frame running in the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 and 5000 metre events. [2] [8]

Para swimming

Haggo took up para swimming for four years between 2014 and 2018, in part because the discipline was not included in World Para Athletics' program. [3] [7] [9]

Boccia

Haggo began playing boccia in February 2022, [2] driven by the desire to compete at the Paralympics after frame running was announced to not be included in the event's 2024 lineup. [3] [11] She competed in the Scottish Championship a few months later. [4] She first competed internationally in Poznan in August 2022. [12] [5]

She became a full-time player in 2023 as part of the United Kingdom's World Class Programme, which provides funding to athletes, allowing them to train full-time. [3] That year she competed in the Montreal World Cup, where she won bronze in the BC1/2 team event. [12]

In 2024, Haggo won gold medals in the women's individual event and the BC1/2 Team event at the Lahti Challenger in Finland. [2] She was named to Great Britain's Paralympic boccia team in June 2024. [4] [12]

Honours

In 2017, YMCA Scotland named her on their list of 30 most inspiring women under 30. [12] In 2020, Haggo was nominated for Sports Personality of the Year at the South Ayrshire Sports Awards. [7] She received the Young Scot Health & Wellbeing Award in 2021. [6] In 2022 she was inducted into Ayrshire College's College Hall of Fame. [13]

Personal life

Haggo has quadriplegic cerebral palsy with dystonia. [5] In 2015, changed Department for Work and Pensions disability benefit rules meant Haggo might lose her motability vehicle. Around 2,900 people signed a Change.org petition in support of Haggo. [14]

She lived in Maybole with her mother as of 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, town residents raised money to buy Haggo equipment so she could train at her home. [7]

Haggo plans to marry her fiancé, Kevin, in late 2024. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boccia</span> Paralympic precision ball sport similar to bocce

Boccia is a precision ball sport, similar to bocce, and related to bowls and pétanque. The name "boccia" is derived from the Latin word for "boss" – bottia. The sport is contested at local, national and international levels, by athletes with severe physical disabilities. It was originally designed to be played by people with cerebral palsy but now includes athletes with other severe disabilities affecting motor skills. In 1984, it became a Paralympic sport and as of 2020, 75 boccia national organizations have joined one or more of the international organizations. Boccia is governed by the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed) and is one of two Paralympic sports that have no counterpart in the Olympic program, although it is a Paralympic variant of bocce (boules).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralympic sports</span> Type of sport with events contested at the Paralympic Games

The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 539 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.

The Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA), a founding member of the Paralympic movement, was an international sports and recreation association for cerebral palsy and related neurological conditions. CPISRA organised recreational opportunities, developed adaptive sports and organised sport events for people with Cerebral Palsy and related neurological conditions. CPISRA was formed in 1969. It was made up of worldwide members and a community of volunteers including an advisory board, specialist committees and networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Para-athletics</span> Paralympic sport

Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practiced by people with a disability as a parasport. The athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, with two major exceptions in wheelchair racing and the club throw, which are specific to the division. The sport is known by various names, including disability athletics, disabled track and field and Paralympic athletics. Top-level competitors may be called elite athletes with disability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Paralympic Games</span> International multi-sport event for disabled athletes

The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, organized by the International Paralympic Committee. Medals are awarded in every event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that the Olympic Games started in 1904.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boccia at the Summer Paralympics</span>

Boccia has been contested at the Summer Paralympics since the 1984 Games in New York City and Stoke Mandeville.

Disability sports classification is a system that allows for fair competition between people with different types of disabilities.

BC1 is a boccia classification. The class is open to people with several different types of disabilities, including cerebral palsy. BC1 players have events open to them in boccia on the Paralympic Games program.

BC3 is a boccia classification. The class is open to people with several different types of disabilities, including cerebral palsy. BC3 players have events open to them in boccia on the Paralympic Games program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Smith (boccia)</span> British boccia player

David John Smith is a Paralympian who made his Paralympic debut on the British boccia team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. He competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and did so winning Bronze in the Team BC1–2. and Silver in the BC1 individual event watched by a record Boccia crowd at the Excel arena. David competed for Paralympics GB for a third time in Rio where he won Gold in the individual BC1 event for the first time in his career. David held the 'triple crown' of major tournament wins following his win at the World Championships in Liverpool 2018 until the World Championships in Rio 2022 where he claimed Silver. Smith is now the holder of three Paralympic Gold Medals, after winning at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, making him the most decorated British Boccia player in history and the first BC1 to defend a Paralympic title, He was selected to carry the GB flag in the Tokyo 2020 closing ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spain at the 1992 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

In 1992, Spain had competitors in archery, wheelchair basketball, swimming, weightlifting, shooting, boccia, cycling, fencing, judo, tennis, 7-per-side football, table tennis and athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boccia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span>

Boccia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics was held in Riocentro, in the Barra district of Rio de Janeiro in September 2016, with a maximum of 104 athletes competing in seven events. The programme consisted of four individual events, two pairs events, and one team event, spread across four classifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Israels competition at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Israel competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. They are scheduled to compete in sailing, cycling, shooting, and rowing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Singapore competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.

CP1 is a disability sport classification specific to cerebral palsy. In many sports, it is grouped inside other classifications to allow people with cerebral palsy to compete against people with other different disabilities but the same level of functionality. CP1 classified competitors are the group who are most physically affected by their cerebral palsy. They are quadriplegics.

CP2 is a disability sport classification specific to cerebral palsy. In many sports, it is grouped inside other classifications to allow people with cerebral palsy to compete against people with other different disabilities but the same level of functionality. People in this class tend to use electric wheelchairs and are quadriplegic. CP2 competitors have better upper body control when compared to CP1.

Cerebral palsy sport classification is a classification system used by sports that include people with cerebral palsy (CP) with different degrees of severity to compete fairly against each other and against others with different types of disabilities. In general, Cerebral Palsy-International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA) serves as the body in charge of classification for cerebral palsy sport, though some sports have their own classification systems which apply to CP sportspeople.

Les Autres sport classification is system used in disability sport for people with locomotor disabilities not included in other classification systems for people with physical disabilities. The purpose of this system is to facilitate fair competition between people with different types of disabilities, and to give credibility to disability sports. It was designed and managed by International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) until the 2005 merger with IWAS, when management switched to that organization. Classification is handled on the national level by relevant sport organizations.

Cristina Gonçalves is a Portuguese boccia player who has cerebral palsy, She has competed for her country and won medals at several Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boccia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics</span> Sport of Boccia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics

Boccia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, took place at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre. There were expected to be 116 qualification slots across seven mixed events: four individual events, two pairs events and one team event.

References

  1. ↑ "HAGGO Kayleigh". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kayleigh Haggo". ParalympicsGB. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 McEvoy, Milly (2024-04-07). "Paris 2024: Kayleigh Haggo reveals childhood struggles and switch from frame running to boccia". The Scotsman.
  4. 1 2 3 "Kayleigh's boccia switch books Paris place". Sport First. Sportscotland . Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  5. 1 2 3 N, Viv (2022-08-19). "From frame-running to boccia, Kayleigh gets GB call-up". Boccia UK. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  6. 1 2 Greenaway, Heather (2021-09-14). "World record holder Kayleigh Haggo eyes up medal at 2024 Paralympics". Daily Record. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kayleigh Haggo racerunning for something bigger". International Paralympic Committee. 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  8. 1 2 "Maybole's Kayleigh Haggo wants to relish Paralympic experience". Ayr Advertiser. 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  9. 1 2 "Scots teen sportstar Kayleigh champions racerunning on global platform". Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce. 2018-08-21.
  10. ↑ "Kayleigh Haggo - Athletics, Swimming | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  11. ↑ "I'm living my Paralympic dream after switching sports". www.bbc.com. 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Kayleigh Haggo". Boccia UK. 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  13. ↑ "Kayleigh Haggo inducted into the Hall of Fame at Virtual College Expo22". College Development Network. 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  14. ↑ Gander, Kashmira (2015-06-01). "Teenage Paralympic star Kayleigh Haggo to lose motability car because she is not disabled enough under new DWP rules". The Independent.
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